US Sanctions Chinese and Mexican Entities in Attempt to Curb Fentanyl Overdoses: Report

The ongoing rise in hospitalizations due to fentanyl has prompted the U.S. to enforce sanctions on 17 entities and individuals from China and Mexico. These parties are implicated in enabling the production of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl.

The U.S. Treasury Department, according to a Reuters report, stated on Tuesday that the sanctioned parties were involved in selling pill press machinery. This equipment can be used to apply counterfeit trade markings to illicitly produced pills, which are frequently mixed with fentanyl and destined for the United States.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that fentanyl-related drug overdose deaths in the United States, which is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, have tripled from 2016 to 2021.

Brian Nelson, the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated, "The Treasury's sanctions target each stage of the lethal supply chain fueling the upsurge in fentanyl poisonings and fatalities nationwide."

"Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl constitute a leading cause of these deaths, devastating thousands of American families each year. We remain committed to using all authorities against enablers of illicit drug production to disrupt this deadly global production and counter the threat posed by these drugs."

U.S. officials told Reuters that the United States has turned to Beijing for help in staunching the illicit distribution of precursor chemicals for fentanyl, but Chinese entities have been reluctant to help as ties between the countries remain tense.