Mexico Major Source of Fentanyl Entering U.S., Report Says

Feb. 8, 2022

Mexico has changed China because the “dominant source” of fentanyl and artificial opioids coming into the United States, a brand new authorities report says.

From 2014 till 2019, most pure fentanyl that U.S. authorities seized got here from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), mentioned the report from the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking.

“Since then, the dominant source of illegally sourced fentanyl has been Mexico,” the report says. “The drug is manufactured in illegal laboratories there using precursors from Asia — mainly the PRC — and is trafficked principally by land into the United States.”

Fentanyl is smuggled throughout the U.S.-Mexico border in packages, autos, and on individuals, the report says. Because the drug is so highly effective, “It is difficult to interdict given that just a small physical amount of this potent drug is enough to satisfy U.S. demand, making it highly profitable for traffickers and dealers,” the report says.

Fentanyl is a robust artificial opioid that’s prescribed to deal with extreme ache. However, folks misuse it due to its capacity to supply a potent excessive and emotions of euphoria.

The fee is a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers, consultants and officers from federal departments and companies.

In a troubling be aware, the report mentioned Mexican drug cartels generally manufacture the drug in counterfeit tablets with model names similar to Adderall and Xanax, which means some individuals who eat fentanyl usually are not initially in search of it.

About 100,000 Americans overdosed and died throughout a latest 12-month interval, principally due to fentanyl and comparable artificial medication, says a letter included with the report from U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and U.S. Rep. David Trone of Maryland.

“The overdose crisis in the United States claims more lives each year than firearms, suicide, homicide, or motor vehicle crashes. This is one of our most-pressing national security, law enforcement, and public health challenges, and we must do more as a nation and a government to protect our most precious resource ― American lives,” the letter says.

The report makes suggestions for the U.S. to scale back the movement of fentanyl.

• Elevate the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy within the Executive Office to a cabinet-level place.
• Disrupt drug provide by way of focused oversight and enforcement, similar to providing federal grants to regulation enforcement companies to swiftly examine drug overdoses.
• Use public well being companies to teach the general public and scale back demand.
• Collaborate with international locations concerned within the manufacturing and distribution of artificial opioids.
• Improve surveillance and knowledge evaluation to permit for more-timely and interventions.

The Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking is a bipartisan group of lawmakers and officers from federal departments and companies.

In 2017, then-President Trump declare the opioid disaster a nationwide emergency.