The United States government is involved in actions to combat illicit fentanyl trafficking even as it continues to offer rewards for information leading to the arrest or conviction of fentanyl traffickers while indicting and imposing sanctions on others.
The U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of the Treasury have announced rewards, indictments and sanctions against people involved in illicit fentanyl trafficking, an April 14 U.S. Department of State news release reported.
"The United States is offering rewards leading to the arrests or convictions of 27 fentanyl traffickers," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a post on Twitter. "Today’s actions demonstrate the resolve of the United States to promote accountability for criminals who perpetuate illicit fentanyl activity."
In addition to the State Department's rewards, the Justice Department recently announced indictments against fentanyl traffickers associated with the Sinaloa Cartel, according to the State Department release. The Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on five people and two entities involved in the trafficking of fentanyl precursor chemicals from the People's Republic of China.
The Justice Department noted the Sinaloa Cartel's operation involves manufacturing and distributing narcotics narcotics in Mexico, the U.S. and other countries, according to a news release. This latest indictment includes conspiracy charges to distribute fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine, as well as other offenses.
The announcement is part of the DOJ's ongoing efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and disrupt transnational criminal organizations involved in illicit drug trafficking, according to the Justice Department's release.
The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control is designating two Chinese entities and five individuals from China and Guatemala for supplying precursor chemicals to drug cartels in Mexico, used to produce illicit fentanyl intended for U.S. markets, according to a Treasury news release.
This is part of the efforts to prevent the flow of precursor chemicals and machinery necessary to make the drug, which is responsible for tens of thousands of American deaths each year, the release reported.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.
It is used medically to treat severe pain, but illicitly produced fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs like heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, the CDC reported. This has led to a surge in overdose deaths in the U.S. in recent years, with more than 36,000 deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl in 2019.
