The article “The Chemical War Killing 70,000 Americans Each Year” by Petr Svab via The Epoch Times emphasizes the urgent need for the United States to increase enforcement against the manufacturing and trafficking of fentanyl and other deadly synthetic drugs. Experts warn that criminal organizations are becoming more sophisticated, making success in combating the crisis increasingly challenging.
According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 100,000 Americans died from overdoses last year, with more than 70,000 overdosing on synthetic opioids like fentanyl. The availability of these drugs is widespread, making addiction treatment less effective. Illicit fentanyl often originates from Mexico, where it is manufactured using chemicals from China.
Experts dismiss the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) efforts to regulate the export of illicit chemicals as merely cosmetic, alleging that the regime is using drugs as a strategic weapon against the U.S. Former DEA official Derek Maltz describes the situation as a chemical war and the number one threat to national security.
The House Select Committee on the CCP has detailed China’s involvement in fentanyl trafficking, pointing out how Chinese companies produce precursor chemicals, ship them to Mexico, and aid in the laundering of profits. While both the Trump and Biden administrations have pressed China to regulate fentanyl, these measures are considered insufficient by experts.
The CCP’s actions suggest a deliberate strategy to harm America, with evidence indicating subsidies on illicit chemical exports and intentional obfuscation of information. However, the Biden administration has not fully endorsed these findings, calling for further investigation.
To address the crisis effectively, experts stress the need to target every point in the trafficking chain swiftly. Failure to do so could result in a significant loss of American lives and societal contributions. The U.S. must act quickly to combat the growing threat posed by powerful synthetic drugs like xylazine and nitazenes, which are even more dangerous than fentanyl.
The article compares the fentanyl crisis to cancer, noting that the U.S. is in an advanced stage. Experts believe that cracking down on the supply of fentanyl precursor chemicals, potentially with the help of artificial intelligence, is still possible. However, the chemicals themselves have precursors, highlighting the complexity and urgency of the situation. “If the cartel labs advance to the point where they can manufacture fentanyl precursors from general-purpose chemicals that are difficult to track, it will become even more challenging to address the issue,” he said.
“If the cartels reach the final stage of narco-chemistry, where they have multiple recipes for producing precursors at various stages, it will be nearly impossible to combat this problem in the next five to 10 years, even with the use of AI,” he added.
Pressure on CCP and Mexico
An effective strategy to combat fentanyl trafficking internationally must acknowledge the lack of cooperation from the Chinese and Mexican governments, according to a recent Heritage report co-authored by Harding.
The CCP has not only refused to address the issue constructively but has also used it as leverage to extract concessions from the U.S. in technology sales, he noted.
Meanwhile, the Mexican government appears to be heavily influenced by the cartels, the experts explained.
“All these chemicals are entering Mexico freely because individuals are being bribed, and the Mexican government is turning a blind eye,” Victor Avila, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent with Homeland Security Investigations, told The Epoch Times.
Some experts suggest that putting pressure on the governments may be the only way to secure their cooperation. The Biden administration has implemented sanctions on over 300 entities and individuals associated with fentanyl trafficking, but the effectiveness of these measures remains uncertain.
Sanctions would only have an impact if they targeted major companies, Brown emphasized.
China boasts over 23,000 chemical companies, with approximately 5,000 producing pharmaceutical precursors, generating $1.5 trillion in annual revenue. Targeting a few small companies would have minimal effect, but sanctions on a major Chinese company could prompt a response from the regime and act as a deterrent, Brown explained.
Given China’s extensive internet monitoring capabilities, if motivated, the CCP could identify fentanyl precursor traffickers and share valuable information with the U.S., the Select Committee on CCP report highlighted.
“If China truly wanted to help the U.S. with this crisis, they would agree to share information on chemical shipments with the U.S. and Mexico for tracking purposes,” Brown noted.
Even without China’s cooperation, the U.S. could take further action, the experts suggested.
Intercepting Packages
The Select Committee on CCP report recommended that the U.S. utilize its Navy and Coast Guard to intercept suspicious maritime shipments from China to Mexico before they reach cartel-controlled ports.
However, since fentanyl is incredibly potent, precursor chemicals are often transported in smaller quantities via air, Brown explained.
“Customs and Border Protection have access to these parcels. If a suspicious package is identified, they can seize it,” he added.
In many cases, the chemicals are sent to fake front companies that appear to be legitimate drug manufacturers but actually do not produce anything. Background checks can reveal the deception.
Precursor chemicals may also be diverted from a genuine pharmaceutical company to the cartels. In such instances, the company’s production levels would not align with the amount of precursors ordered.
Focusing on shipping could also minimize the impact on civil rights, as no arrests or police interventions would be necessary to inspect packages during transit. International packages are typically subject to customs checks, so there would be no additional privacy violations.
Targeting Cartel Labs
There are over 100 “super labs” operated by cartels in Mexico that produce fentanyl and distribute it in pill form, Avila revealed.
The first step should be to designate these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, he advised.