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WASHINGTON — As the number of deaths attributable to illicit fentanyl use spikes, experts in combating the illegal drug trade tout numerous options to address the issue.
But no single effort will end the crisis by itself and officials seem uncertain where exactly the focus should be, which spurred a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing Wednesday on the issue. The officials focused on the role of Mexico and China, in particular, in the fentanyl crisis and inflows of the drug into the United States.
"It continues to be a human tragedy across our country and across the world. And the question is, what can we do?" Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said in his opening remarks at the hearing. Are there any single "choke points," he wonders, where the country can focus its efforts, helping "to dramatically reduce the tragedy of fentanyl?"
Romney is the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight Subcommittee, which hosted the hearing. He followed Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire and the subcommittee chairwoman, in opening the hearing.
The Mexican drug cartels behind much of the illicit fentanyl that makes its way to the United States are "nimble," said Hassan, and take advantage of the "crisis at the southern border" to sneak drugs into the United States. "So we need urgently to strengthen our defenses there," she said, with more resources for border agents, more personnel and more advanced drug-detection equipment.
No single measure will remedy the problem, though, she said, also noting difficulties in dealing with officials from China, the source of the precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl, and Mexico. Fentanyl is typically manufactured in Mexico using Chinese ingredients, and then smuggled into the United States by large Mexican drug organizations like the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels.
The hearing focused on possible action at the international level to stop the flow of fentanyl, including cooperative efforts with China and Mexico, and even punitive measures aimed at the two countries. Three experts on illegal drug trafficking addressed the subcommittee: Vanda Felbab-Brown of the Brookings Institution, Celina Realuyu of the U.S. Department of Defense's National Defense University, and Christopher Urben, a consultant and former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigator.
"It is the most lethal drug epidemic ever in history, even while it is confined to North America," said Felbab-Brown. Romney said U.S. deaths linked to fentanyl increased 128% between 2019 and 2020. Realuyu said most of the 112,000 drug-related deaths in 2023 in the country were linked to illicit fentanyl sourced to Mexican drug cartels.
Increased flows of undocumented immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border in recent months have been a focus of growing alarm and attention, as have deaths caused by fentanyl and the flow of the drug from Mexico. Romney said government officials from China and Mexico haven't been as cooperative in addressing the fentanyl issue as U.S. officials would like, expressing hope the three experts could shed light on the matter.
Here are some of the points brought up:
Hassan broached the idea of increased inspections of people and vehicles traveling from the United States into Mexico to search for illicit money and weapons. Guns and funds from the United States are helping the Mexican drug cartels thrive and keep afloat.
Realuyu said better drug-inspection technology is needed at the border, particularly since fentanyl can't be detected by odor like plant-based drugs like marijuana, heroin and cocaine. A single pill costs 30 cents to make in Mexico, she noted, and sells for $15-$20 in the District of Columbia, giving traffickers a strong financial motive.
The United States, she added, could consider more punitive action. If China doesn't do more to crack down on the sale of precursor chemicals made into fentanyl by the Mexican cartels, she said, the United States should consider revoking most favored nation status, imposing tariffs or increasing diplomatic pressure on the nation.
"If Mexico does not cooperate and show credible action, we should consider designating the Sinaloa or Jalisco cartels as foreign terrorist organizations," she added. That would give the U.S. government more leeway to seize and freeze the drug organization's assets.
Urben proposed more cooperative efforts between U.S. and Mexican drug interdiction officials to go after the Mexican cartels. "The only way we're going to win this battle against fentanyl is to go after the Mexican cartels," he said.
Related to that, he said the United States should more aggressively use extradition against Mexican drug suspects facing charges in U.S. courts. That, he said, would have "a dramatic impact" on combating the drug trade.
Notably, the U.S. Senate last month rebuffed a plan crafted by Republicans and backed by many Democrats to bolster border security. It focused on helping stem illegal border crossings but also contained provisions targeting large criminal drug enterprises that traffic fentanyl, according to the Associated Press.
More recently, President Joe Biden signed a measure into law, the END FENTANYL Act, that is meant to aid in combatting fentanyl trafficking, according to a press release Monday from Hassan's office. The measure requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to update its policies at least once after three years "to ensure that its guidance to stop and interdict drugs is up to date," reads the press release.
Hassan was one of the lawmakers to introduce the measure.
