The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released their 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA), naming fentanyl as the deadliest drug in the country. 

The NDTA reported fentanyl took the lives of 38,000 Americans in the "first sixth months of 2023 alone." 

The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels were named as main contributors to presence of fentanyl in all 50 US states, producing the drug in Mexico and smuggling it into the United States, earning “billions of dollars in profits." Their operations encompass every stage of the supply chain, from sourcing precursor chemicals to manufacturing drugs, and managing logistics through a network of collaborators, including international shippers, transporters, corrupt officials, tunnel builders, shell companies, and money launderers. 

Fentanyl enters the country through hidden placement in other illicit substances, such as cocaine and heroin. Manufacturers often disguise fentanyl to appear like a regular prescription drug, according to the DEA. A 2023 DEA laboratory analysis said, “approximately 7 in 10 fake pills contain a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl (approximately 2 milligrams)”, causing Americans to consume lethal amounts of fentanyl, which they assume to be a legitimate prescription drug. 

The DEA’s plan for responding to the drug crisis focuses on singling out organizations that are trafficking drugs into the United States, and raise awareness of the presence of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. They aim to “relentlessly pursue and defeat the two Mexican drug cartels” which have caused the “worst drug crisis in US history” through breaking the supply chain and bringing individuals to justice. 

DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said the DEA “will never stop working to protect our public safety, health, and national security."