Fentanyl is the "deadliest drug threat the United States has ever faced," according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 108,000 Americans died due to drug overdoses in 2023. Of those deaths, 75,000—or nearly 3 out of every 4—were caused by synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, according to the CDC. While the usual suspects, such as Mexican cartels, are aiding this crisis, another player across the Pacific Ocean is driving the crisis: the People’s Republic of China.
Unknown to many Americans, the Chinese Communist Party is actively funding, supporting, and pushing America’s most deadly drug threat in history. An effective U.S. strategy to combat the international fentanyl trafficking industry must begin with the recognition that the United States lacks good-faith partners in both the Chinese and Mexican governments.