Chinese Labs and Mexican Cartels: Fueling the Opioid Crisis?
Fentanyl appears to have become the drug of choice in the ongoing the global opioid crisis and its effects have been devastating on the youth of the world, but more specifically the United States has given recent developments. Mexican drug cartels have found ways to sneak these lethal drugs through the southern border of the U.S. and have targeted American citizens with more cash freely available to spend than many of their international counterparts – especially with the surge in COVID relief funds issued to qualifying citizens over the past year. Yet the true wonder is how criminal organizations have managed to move mass quantities of these narcotics despite increasing restrictions on travel due to the pandemic. Recent reports indicate that they may have had help from fentanyl-makers and money launderers on the eastern hemisphere. What is fentanyl? Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, approved for treating severe pain and for hospice care for individuals with serious medical conditions (i.e. advanced cancer-related symptoms). It is estimated to be 50 to 100 times more potent than the more widely used opiate morphine. It is often prescribed in the form of transdermal patches or lozenges that have historically been diverted for illicit sales and abuse. Most cases of fentanyl- related harm, including overdose and death, are from illegally made fentanyl versus their medical derivative, however. These concoctions are sold by drug dealers and are believed to have a heroin-esque effect on their users. China-Mexico Connection Authorities have been aware of the partnership between the Chinese and Mexican cartels for several years now. Many of the chemicals manufactured in China and bought by Mexico’s notorious drug cartels in transactions facilitated by a global network of Chinese criminal groups are fueling the fentanyl crisis, which has contributed to the death of tens of thousands of American citizens alone (the U.S. death toll tied to fentanyl in 2020 is estimated at a record 90,000).3 In 2019, the Trump Administration and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sought to disrupt operations of this variety by pressuring China into banning fentanyl, with the country following suit with a major crackdown that saw an uptick in regulation on