However, a lack of interagency cooperation has hampered our government’s counter-fentanyl efforts. Curbing fentanyl trafficking and breaking up cartel networks demands an aggressive and clear approach.Īs members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, we know the US Department of Defense plays a crucial role in the nation’s counter-drug intelligence and monitoring operations, and these operations are meant to provide federal law enforcement with actionable intelligence to further investigations. Over the course of one year, investigators in the US Drug Enforcement Agency’s Omaha office linked 26 cases of drug and fentanyl trafficking in five states in our nation’s heartland directly to cartels. And there is no question as to who is trafficking these illicit drugs to our communities. Between 20, the number of fentanyl trafficking offenders increased 950%, from 146 to 1,533 in the US. This denial has only exacerbated the situation. López Obrador has refused to acknowledge Mexico’s role in the crisis, insisting illegal fentanyl is not produced in the country despite ample evidence to the contrary. In fact, the joint effort between the US and Mexico to fight drug trafficking has faced significant challenges since Andrés Manuel López Obrador became president in 2018. Mexico’s leadership has not scaled military and law enforcement to respond, despite thousands of homicides linked to cartel violence in Mexico last year. Cartels manufacturing fentanyl in Mexico then smuggle this deadly substance across the border into America. Opinion: How Manchin could cost Biden his reelection bidįentanyl can be churned out quickly and cheaply, with precursor chemicals coming mainly from Chinese companies and the use of pill presses to create individual tablets. US Northern Command estimates drug cartels operate widely in about a third of Mexico’s territory, and the International Crisis Group estimates that over 500 armed groups operated in Mexico between 20. The national security challenge of dismantling the cartels is daunting.
That’s why we introduced the Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act of 2023 this week to direct more federal attention and coordination to deter the criminal networks responsible for trafficking. That is going to take a coordinated, whole-of-government approach that begins with prioritizing the issue, followed by strong interagency coordination. To truly end the fentanyl epidemic, the response must be proportionate to the problem. We must scale our efforts immediately to combat this national security threat. Cartels’ fentanyl trafficking far surpasses the US government’s response. Mexican transnational criminal organizations are sprawling enterprises that have diversified their illicit activities, which now range from drug smuggling to human smuggling, black market tobacco products and petty retail theft. In 2012, there were 50 fentanyl overdose deaths in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health in 2022, that number skyrocketed, taking the lives of nearly 2,000 people.
Among Iowans under the age of 25, drug overdose deaths have increased 120% in the last five years, according to the Iowa Department of Health. That could be devastating for thousands of AmericansĪlthough they are a thousand miles away from the border, Iowa and Virginia – the states we represent – are feeling the impact. Opinion: The GOP wants to put work requirements on Medicaid recipients.
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