Editing Fentanyl (section)

=== Enforcement ===
{{Further|Anti-fentanyl legislation in the United States|United States sanctions against China#Sanctions on producers of fentanyl precursors|China and the opioid epidemic in the United States}}
[[Image:deafentanyl.jpg|thumb|Fentanyl powder (23% fentanyl) seized by police in [[Ohio]], United States<ref>{{cite web |title=DEA Microgram Bulletin |date=June 2006 |publisher=U.S. [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] |department=Office of Forensic Sciences |place=Washington, DC |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/programs/forensicsci/microgram/mg0606/mg0606.html |access-date=22 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090721101918/http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/programs/forensicsci/microgram/mg0606/mg0606.html|archive-date=21 July 2009}}</ref>]]

The fentanyl supply chain in Mexico consists of a vast and elusive network, potentially involving hundreds of players. U.S. and Mexican anti-narcotics officials acknowledge that the exact number is unknown. Some brokers operate as specialists within major cartels, while others act independently. However, the majority remain unknown to authorities and operate below the radar. A major challenge in disrupting this trade lies in the global chemical industry. Many of the compounds used to manufacture fentanyl have legitimate industrial applications, classifying them as dual-use chemicals. These substances are often unregulated or only lightly controlled in key countries such as the United States, Mexico, and China. This regulatory gap enables brokers to evade detection, seamlessly navigating between the legal chemical trade and the illicit drug market to acquire the necessary precursors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/drugs-fentanyl-brokers/|title=The shadowy 'brokers' helping Mexico's cartels smuggle fentanyl chemicals from China|website=[[Reuters]] }}</ref>

Several large quantities of illicitly produced fentanyl have been seized by U.S. law enforcement agencies. In November{{nbsp}}2016, the DEA uncovered an operation making counterfeit oxycodone and [[Alprazolam|Xanax]] from a home in [[Cottonwood Heights, Utah|Cottonwood Heights]], Utah. They found about 70,000{{nbsp}}pills in the appearance of oxycodone and more than 25,000 in the appearance of Xanax. The DEA reported that millions of pills could have been distributed from this location over the course of time. The accused owned a [[tablet press]] and ordered fentanyl in powder form from China.<ref>{{cite news | vauthors = Tanner C |date=2016 |title=Thousands of fentanyl pills confiscated in Utah drug raid |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |url=http://www.sltrib.com/news/4623595-155/thousands-of-fentanyl-pills-confiscated-in |access-date=23 November 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124094546/http://www.sltrib.com/news/4623595-155/thousands-of-fentanyl-pills-confiscated-in |archive-date=24 November 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cottonwood Heights drug bust one of the largest in Utah history |date=22 November 2016 |website=Fox 13 |url=http://fox13now.com/2016/11/22/dea-investigating-drug-operation-near-cottonwood-heights-school/ |url-status=live |access-date=23 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123142646/http://fox13now.com/2016/11/22/dea-investigating-drug-operation-near-cottonwood-heights-school/ |archive-date=23 November 2016}}</ref> A seizure of a record amount of fentanyl occurred on 2 February 2019, by [[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]] in [[Nogales, Arizona|Nogales]], Arizona. The {{convert|254|lbs|kg}} of fentanyl, which was estimated to be worth US$3.5M, was concealed in a compartment under a false floor of a truck transporting cucumbers.<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. border officers make largest-ever fentanyl bust: 254{{nbsp}}pounds hidden under cucumbers |date=31 January 2019 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-border-officials-announce-largest-ever-fentanyl-seizure/2019/01/31/a43eeb62-258c-11e9-90cd-dedb0c92dc17_story.html |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608203341/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-border-officials-announce-largest-ever-fentanyl-seizure/2019/01/31/a43eeb62-258c-11e9-90cd-dedb0c92dc17_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The "China White" form of fentanyl refers to any of a number of clandestinely produced analogues, especially [[α-Methylfentanyl|α-methylfentanyl]] (AMF).<ref name="deadiversion.usdoj.gov"/> One US Department of Justice publication lists "China White" as a synonym for a number of fentanyl analogues, including 3-methylfentanyl and α-methylfentanyl,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kram TC, Cooper DA, Allen AC | title = Behind the identification of China White | journal = Analytical Chemistry | volume = 53 | issue = 12 | pages = 1379A–1386A | date = October 1981 | pmid = 7294353 | doi = 10.1021/ac00235a003 }}</ref> which today are classified as [[Schedule I drug]]s in the United States.<ref name="deadiversion.usdoj.gov">{{cite web |title = List of Schedule I Drugs |publisher = U.S. Department of Justice |url = http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/listby_sched/sched1.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100109203853/http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/listby_sched/sched1.htm |archive-date = 9 January 2010 }}</ref> Part of the motivation for AMF is that, despite the extra difficulty from a synthetic standpoint, the resultant drug is more resistant to metabolic degradation. This results in a drug with an increased duration.<ref name="pmid4420811">{{cite journal | vauthors = Van Bever WF, Niemegeers CJ, Janssen PA | title = Synthetic analgesics. Synthesis and pharmacology of the diastereoisomers of N-(3-methyl-1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidyl)-N-phenylpropanamide and N-(3-methyl-1-(1-methyl-2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidyl)-N-phenylpropanamide | journal = Journal of Medicinal Chemistry | volume = 17 | issue = 10 | pages = 1047–1051 | date = October 1974 | pmid = 4420811 | doi = 10.1021/jm00256a003 }}</ref>

In June 2013, the United States [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC) issued a health advisory<ref>{{cite web |title=Recommendations for Laboratory Testing for Acetyl Fentanyl and Patient Evaluation and Treatment for Overdose with Synthetic Opioids | author = CDC Health Alert Network |date=20 June 2013 |publisher=U.S. [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC) |url=http://emergency.cdc.gov/HAN/han00350.asp |access-date=20 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624113939/http://emergency.cdc.gov/HAN/han00350.asp |archive-date=24 June 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> to emergency departments alerting to 14 overdose deaths among intravenous drug users in Rhode Island associated with [[acetylfentanyl]], a synthetic opioid analog of fentanyl that has never been licensed for medical use. In a separate study conducted by the CDC, 82% of fentanyl overdose deaths involved illegally manufactured fentanyl, while only 4% were suspected to originate from a prescription.<ref>{{cite report |title=Characteristics of Fentanyl overdose — Massachusetts, 2014–2016 |publisher=U.S. [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC) |date=14 April 2017}}</ref>

Beginning in 2015, Canada has seen several fentanyl overdoses. Authorities suspected that the drug was being imported from Asia to the western coast by organized crime groups in powder form and being pressed into pseudo-OxyContin tablets.<ref>{{cite web |title = Lethal fentanyl profiting gangs in Western Canada while deaths climb |date = 6 August 2015 |website = CTV News |url = https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/lethal-fentanyl-profiting-gangs-in-western-canada-while-deaths-climb-1.2505470 |vauthors = Burgmann T |access-date = 16 July 2022 |archive-date = 17 July 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220717024447/https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/lethal-fentanyl-profiting-gangs-in-western-canada-while-deaths-climb-1.2505470 |url-status = live }}</ref> Traces of the drug have also been found in other recreational drugs, including cocaine, [[MDMA]], and heroin. The drug has been implicated in the deaths of people from all walks of life—from homeless individuals to professionals—including teens and young parents.<ref>{{cite web |title = Fentanyl doesn't discriminate, killing the homeless and young professionals |date = 22 August 2015 |newspaper = [[Edmonton Journal]] |url = https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/fentanyl-doesnt-discriminate-killing-the-homeless-and-young-professionals |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161220132537/http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/fentanyl-doesnt-discriminate-killing-the-homeless-and-young-professionals |archive-date = 20 December 2016}}</ref> Because of the rising deaths across the country, especially in [[British Columbia]] where 1,716{{nbsp}}deaths were reported in 2020 and 1,782 from January to October{{nbsp}}2021,<ref>{{cite news |vauthors=Mangione K, Hasegawa R |date=9 December 2021 |title=2021 is now B.C.'s deadliest year in the opioid crisis, with 2{{nbsp}}months of data left to collect |website=[[CTV News]] |url=https://bc.ctvnews.ca/2021-is-now-b-c-s-deadliest-year-in-the-opioid-crisis-with-2-months-of-data-left-to-collect-1.5700104 |access-date=25 December 2021 |archive-date=25 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225152051/https://bc.ctvnews.ca/2021-is-now-b-c-s-deadliest-year-in-the-opioid-crisis-with-2-months-of-data-left-to-collect-1.5700104 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Health Canada]] is putting a rush on a review of the prescription-only status of [[naloxone]] in an effort to combat overdoses of the drug.<ref>{{cite news |title=Winnipeg Naloxone-distribution program could prevent fentanyl deaths |website=[[CBC News]] |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-naloxone-distribution-program-could-prevent-fentanyl-deaths-1.3197131 |access-date=16 January 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180531104801/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-naloxone-distribution-program-could-prevent-fentanyl-deaths-1.3197131 |archive-date=31 May 2018 }}</ref> In 2018, [[Global News]] reported allegations that [[Canada–China relations|diplomatic tensions]] between Canada and China hindered cooperation to seize imports, with Beijing being accused of inaction.<ref>{{cite news |vauthors=Cooper S, Bell S, Russell A |date=1 December 2018 |title=China won't stop flood of fentanyl into Canada, sources say |department=National |newspaper=[[Global News]] |place=Canada |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4658188/fentanyl-china-canada-diplomatic-tensions/ |access-date=21 July 2021 |archive-date=13 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613085610/https://globalnews.ca/news/4658188/fentanyl-china-canada-diplomatic-tensions/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Fentanyl has been discovered for sale in illicit markets in Australia in 2017<ref>{{cite news | vauthors = Bonini T |date=13 October 2017 |title=Could fentanyl be Australia's next deadly drug epidemic? |website=ABC News (Australia) |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-13/could-fentanyl-be-australias-next-deadly-drug-epidemic/9048530 |access-date=6 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508164151/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-13/could-fentanyl-be-australias-next-deadly-drug-epidemic/9048530 |archive-date=8 May 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> and in New Zealand in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fentanyl found at New Zealand festival |date=20 March 2018 |website=KnowYourStuffNZ |url=https://knowyourstuff.nz/2018/03/20/fentanyl-found-at-new-zealand-festival/ |access-date=6 April 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407115814/https://knowyourstuff.nz/2018/03/20/fentanyl-found-at-new-zealand-festival/ |archive-date=7 April 2018 |author1=Knowyourstuffnz }}</ref> In response, New Zealand experts called for wider availability of naloxone.<ref>{{cite news | vauthors = Buchanan J |date=27 March 2018 |title=NZ's 'deadly' indifference to drug overdose antidote |website=HealthCentral NZ |url=http://healthcentral.nz/opinion-julian-buchanan-nzs-deadly-indifference-to-drug-overdose-antidote/ |access-date=6 April 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407054328/http://healthcentral.nz/opinion-julian-buchanan-nzs-deadly-indifference-to-drug-overdose-antidote/ |archive-date=7 April 2018 }}</ref>

In May 2019, China regulated the entire class of fentanyl-type drugs and two fentanyl precursors. Nevertheless, it remains the principal origin of fentanyl in the United States: Mexican cartels source fentanyl [[Precursor (chemistry)|precursors]] from Chinese suppliers such as [[Yuancheng Group]], which are finished in Mexico and smuggled to the United States.<ref>{{cite news |vauthors=Feng E |date=17 November 2020 |title='We Are Shipping To The U.S.': Inside China's Online Synthetic Drug Networks |work=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/11/17/916890880/we-are-shipping-to-the-u-s-china-s-fentanyl-sellers-find-new-routes-to-drug-user |access-date=1 October 2022 |archive-date=1 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001144517/https://www.npr.org/2020/11/17/916890880/we-are-shipping-to-the-u-s-china-s-fentanyl-sellers-find-new-routes-to-drug-user |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="brookings-3-22">{{cite web |vauthors=Felbab-Brown V |date=23 March 2022 |title=China and synthetic drugs control: Fentanyl, methamphetamines, and precursors |url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/china-and-synthetic-drugs-control-fentanyl-methamphetamines-and-precursors/ |access-date=23 September 2022 |website=Brookings |archive-date=23 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923083453/https://www.brookings.edu/research/china-and-synthetic-drugs-control-fentanyl-methamphetamines-and-precursors/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="dea-2020">{{cite web |date=January 2020 |title=Fentanyl Flow to the United States |url=https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_0.pdf |access-date=4 October 2022 |website=U.S. [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] |archive-date=30 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930135741/https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_0.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the [[2022 visit by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan]], China halted cooperation with the United States on combatting drug trafficking.<ref>{{cite web |vauthors=Lo K |date=29 September 2022 |title=White House confirms China has stopped cooperating on anti-drug measures |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194183/white-house-confirms-china-has-stopped-cooperating-anti-drug |access-date=1 October 2022 |website=[[South China Morning Post]] |archive-date=1 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001071714/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194183/white-house-confirms-china-has-stopped-cooperating-anti-drug |url-status=live }}</ref> Bilateral talks on fentanyl later resumed in San Francisco in 2024 when then U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met. In the past several months before February 2025, China had also began scheduling fentanyl precursors that are internationally banned, aligning with efforts to restrict the flow of chemicals used in fentanyl production as well as the drug itself. These actions are intended to strengthen efforts to curb drug trafficking and disrupt the supply chain more effectively. In February 2025, US president Trump imposed a 10% [[Second Trump tariffs|tariff]] on Chinese imports, claiming the move as a way "to pressure China into taking action on fentanyl" but experts have expressed concern that these tariffs could reverse the progress made under the Biden administration and weaken the international cooperation necessary to combat global drug trafficking.<ref>{{Cite web | vauthors = Ortiz E |date=4 March 2025 |title=Trump says tariffs were enacted to curb fentanyl, but U.S. overdose deaths are already declining |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/trump-says-tariffs-to-curb-fentanyl-but-us-overdose-deaths-declining/6173140/?os=io....sxj9oul9no_journeys=true&ref=app |access-date=10 March 2025 | work = NBC New | location = New York |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | vauthors = Hawkins A |date=4 February 2025 |title=Is the China-US fentanyl pipeline really responsible for the US opioid crisis? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/26/is-the-china-us-fentanyl-pipeline-really-responsible-for-the-us-opioid-crisis |access-date=10 March 2025 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | vauthors = Green HH |date=8 March 2025 |title=Trump policies could fuel illicit drug trade despite vow to curb fentanyl |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/trump-policies-drug-trade-fentanyl |access-date=10 March 2025 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

India has also emerged as a source of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors,<ref name="dea-2020" /> where Mexican cartels have already developed networks for the import of synthetic drugs. It is possible that fentanyl and precursor production may disperse to other countries, such as [[Nigeria]], [[South Africa]], [[Indonesia]], [[Myanmar]], and the [[Netherlands]].<ref name="brookings-3-22" />

In 2020, the [[Myanmar military]] and police confiscated 990 gallons of "methyl fentanyl"{{sic}}, as well as [[Precursor (chemistry)|precursors]] for the illicit synthesis of the drug. According to the [[United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime]], the [[Shan State]] of Myanmar has been identified as a major source for fentanyl derivatives. In 2021, the agency reported a further drop in opium poppy cultivation in Burma, as the region's synthetic drug market continues to expand and diversify.<ref>{{cite web |vauthors = Beech H, Nang S |date = 19 May 2020 |title = Raids reveal massive fentanyl production in Myanmar |newspaper = [[The New York Times]] |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/19/world/asia/myanmar-drug-raid-fentanyl.html |access-date = 2 May 2021 |archive-date = 8 June 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210608052805/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/19/world/asia/myanmar-drug-raid-fentanyl.html |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite report | title = UNODC report: Opium production drops again in Myanmar as the synthetic drug market expands | website = [[UNODC]] (Myanmar) | url = https://www.unodc.org/southeastasiaandpacific/en/2021/02/myanmar-opium-survey-report-launch/story.html | access-date = 2 May 2021 | archive-date = 4 March 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210304124958/https://www.unodc.org/southeastasiaandpacific/en/2021/02/myanmar-opium-survey-report-launch/story.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

In 2023, a California police union director was charged with importing synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and [[tapentadol]] disguised as [[chocolate]]. U.S. law enforcement had been slow in their response to the fentanyl crisis, according to the Washington Post. The response by the federal government to the fentanyl crisis had also faltered, according to the press release. Overdose deaths by fentanyl and other illegally imported opioids were surging since 2019 and are presently a major cause of death in all U.S. states.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/30/us/california-police-union-executive-drug-scheme-opioids/index.html | title = A California police union director is being charged with importing opioids, including fentanyl, disguised as chocolate and wedding favors | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230402201933/https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/30/us/california-police-union-executive-drug-scheme-opioids/index.html | archive-date=2 April 2023 | work = CNN | date = 31 March 2023 | access-date = 2 April 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2022/dea-fentanyl-failure/ | title = Cause of death: Washington faltered as fentanyl gripped America | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230325131141/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2022/dea-fentanyl-failure/ | archive-date=25 March 2023 | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | access-date = 2 April 2023 }}</ref>

According to the national archives and the [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]], direct fentanyl shipments from China have stopped since 2022.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 May 2022 |title=DEA zeroes in on China as fentanyl deaths soar – CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fentanyl-china-mexico-drug-enforcement-administration/ |access-date=15 November 2023 |website=CBS News |archive-date=15 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115231610/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fentanyl-china-mexico-drug-enforcement-administration/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=DHS Investigation Leads to Indictments Against China-Based Companies and Employees for Fentanyl Trafficking {{!}} Homeland Security |url=https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/10/03/dhs-investigation-leads-indictments-against-china-based-companies-and-employees |access-date=15 November 2023 |website=U.S. Department of Homeland Security|archive-date=15 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115231610/https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/10/03/dhs-investigation-leads-indictments-against-china-based-companies-and-employees |url-status=live }}</ref> The majority of illicit fentanyl and analogues now entering the U.S. from Mexico are final products in form of "tablets" and adulterated heroin from previously synthesized fentanyl. From the sophistication of full [[chemical synthesis|fentanyl synthesis]] and acute toxicity in laboratory environments, 'clandestine' labs in Mexico relate to making an illicit dosage form from available fentanyl rather than the synthesis itself. Based on further research by investigators, fentanyl and analogues are likely synthesized in labs that have the appearance of a legal entity, or are diverted from pharmaceutical laboratories.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-opioid-indictments-idUKKBN1CM22B | title = U.S. indicts major Chinese traffickers and three Americans for selling fentanyl online | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230405070000/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-opioid-indictments-idUKKBN1CM22B | archive-date=5 April 2023 | date = 17 October 2017 | work = Reuters | access-date = 4 April 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://trone.house.gov/2023/01/08/chinas-role-in-illicit-fentanyl-running-rampant-on-us-streets/ | title = China's Role in Illicit Fentanyl Running Rampant on US Streets | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230216071828/https://trone.house.gov/2023/01/08/chinas-role-in-illicit-fentanyl-running-rampant-on-us-streets/ | archive-date=16 February 2023 | work = trone.house.gov | date = 8 January 2023 | access-date = 4 April 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/briefing-senate-foreign-relations-committee-countering-illicit-fentanyl-trafficking-hearing | title = Briefing on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Countering Illicit Fentanyl Trafficking Hearing | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230405062732/https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/briefing-senate-foreign-relations-committee-countering-illicit-fentanyl-trafficking-hearing | archive-date=5 April 2023 | work = Wilson Center | access-date = 4 April 2023 }}</ref>

Recent investigations and convictions of members of the [[Sinaloa drug cartel]] by federal agencies made a clear connection between illegal arms trafficking from the U.S. to Mexico and the smuggling of fentanyl into the U.S. Mexico had repeatedly made official complaints since illegal guns are easily purchased for example in Arizona and as far north as Wisconsin and even Alaska, according to U.S. intelligence sources, and transported onto Mexican territory through a chain of American brokers and couriers often financed by those drug cartels that also engage in money laundering. Therefore, the lack of arms controls in the U.S. has directly contributed to the U.S. opioid overdose crisis.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.atf.gov/news/pr/convicted-felon-arrested-attempting-trade-fentanyl-four-firearms | title = Felon Arrested for Attempting To Trade Fentanyl for Four Firearms | date = 6 September 2023 | work = ATF.gov | access-date = 16 December 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1523 | title = Treasury Sanctions Individuals Linked to CJNG's Arms Trafficking, Fuel Theft, and Money Laundering | work = home.treasury.gov | access-date = 16 December 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mexican-drug-cartels-american-weapons-smuggled-across-border/ | title = Mexican drug cartels pay Americans to smuggle weapons across the border, intelligence documents show | work = CBS News | date = 18 September 2023 | access-date = 16 December 2023 }}</ref> 
 	
The [[opioid epidemic in the United States]] is largely fueled by drugs smuggled from Mexico; approximately 98% of fentanyl entering the U.S. comes from Mexico.<ref>{{Cite web | vauthors = Devlin K, Ma Y |date=4 March 2025 |title=How does fentanyl get into the US? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg93nn1e6go |access-date=4 March 2025 |website=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> In January 2025, President Trump said that [[2025 United States trade war with Canada and Mexico|tariffs on Mexico]] were intended to reduce the U.S. trade deficit and force the country to secure its border with the U.S. against fentanyl smuggling and [[illegal immigration into the United States|illegal immigration]].<ref>{{Cite news | vauthors = Kaye D |date=1 February 2025 |title=Here's What to Know About Trump's Tariffs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/business/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-china.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250203162720/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/business/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-china.html |archive-date=3 February 2025 |access-date=2 February 2025 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>