(RepublicanView.org) – The US government announced accusations, sanctions, and even indictments against corporations based in China for allegedly transporting large amounts of the highly lethal fentanyl drug and the chemicals used in its production.
The sanctions are targeting at least 28 people and organizations involved in the black-market drug supply chain. Meanwhile, the indictments involve eight different companies and employees. However, arrests are unlikely as the individuals named all live in China. The Chinese Communist Party has been increasingly hostile towards the US in recent years.
The Biden administration has previously attempted to work with Chinese officials to help chemical and drug trafficking. Administration officials considered ending sanctions that targeted a law enforcement forensics lab known for significant human-rights atrocities. In exchange, the Chinese government would work with US officials in combating drug trafficking.
The US is already facing a fentanyl crisis as Mexican drugs cartels traffic the drug across the southern border. Cartel members have even disguised fentanyl pills as candy to increase its appeal. Many of the chemicals transported by Chinese companies are shipped to Mexican cartels.
Federal officials are using x-rays at border checkpoints to stop fentanyl shipments, but they are currently only being used at the official throughfares that are often circumvented by cartels.
Over 140,000 Americans were killed by fentanyl in 2021 and 2022, according to CDC data shared by USA Facts. That is a significant increase from just a few years prior. The Biden administration has said that removing fentanyl from the streets is a top priority.
Fentanyl is a highly addictive drug that can be 100 times more potent than morphine. It is often mixed with other drugs, especially the sedative xylazine, to increase its potency even more.
Some of the suspects named in the indictments have previously bragged about the ease of sneaking fentanyl and the chemicals it is composed of into the United States. The subpar security measures at the southern border are a common reference among them.
US delegates will be traveling to Mexico next week to collaborate with Mexican officials in the fight against drug trafficking.
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