DEA: Cartels Trafficking More Potent Doses Of Fentanyl

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory analysis reveals that seven out of every 10 pills seized in the United States contain at least two milligrams of the synthetic opioid.

U.S. authorities target rainbow pills that have been trending since last year

The Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels are increasing the trafficking of pills with more potent doses of fentanyl to the United States, warned the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in a laboratory analysis of the drug.

The analysis carried out by a laboratory of the US anti-drug office revealed that seven out of every 10 pills secured in 2023 contain at least two milligrams of this synthetic opioid, a gramage already considered a deadly amount that circulates in all US communities, and which are responsible for the majority of overdose deaths.

According to tests conducted by DEA experts, in 2022, six potentially lethal tablets were being distributed in the United States for every 10, and now there is a "dramatic" increase compared to the four detected in 2021.

So far this 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration has seized a record 62 million fentanyl pills, surpassing last year's 58 million, plus 9,700 pounds of powdered fentanyl, which together equate to more than 287 million lethal doses, according to bureau figures available on its website.

The deadliest fentanyl pills, insisted DEA Director Anne Milgram, are mass-produced by the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartel, and a "single one is dangerous and can kill.

US authorities are targeting rainbow fentanyl pills, which have become an emerging trend since last year, reaching 26 of the 50 states in the US.

The DEA said it is a new method used by the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl, "made to look like candy to children and young people".

For the director of the anti-drug agency, Anne Milgram, this is a deliberate action by the Mexican cartels to boost fentanyl addiction among children, youth and adults.

Since its emergence, the Drug Enforcement Administration has secured rainbow fentanyl in multiple forms, including tablets, powder and blocks that resemble chalk.

"All colors, shapes and sizes of fentanyl should be considered extremely dangerous. The fentanyl available in the United States is primarily supplied by two criminal drug networks, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)," the office warned.

In the face of the fentanyl crisis, the DEA last year issued a public safety alert about widespread trafficking of higher dosage fentanyl pills, largely manufactured by the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and which are identical to actual prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Percocet and Xanax.

"Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country. It is a highly addictive synthetic opioid, 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, the small amount that fits on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially lethal dose," he emphasized.

In a press conference following the High Level Security Dialogue held on Thursday in Mexico City, U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland said that fentanyl produced by Mexican cartels is the "worst drug we have ever seen".

Therefore, he said, "We see the fentanyl trafficking networks and we are going to go after these networks in all parts of the world. We know that the global fentanyl supply chain that ends in the death of Americans very often starts with Chinese chemical companies.

"Charges were announced this year against members of the Sinaloa Cartel, their associates and leaders for their role in having the most prolific fentanyl production and trafficking operation in the world."

However, the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez, reiterated that Mexico is not a producer of fentanyl, but a transit country in which no laboratories dedicated to the production of this synthetic drug have been detected.

U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland added that "in Mexico, I insist, precursor chemicals are not produced, those precursor chemicals come from Asia, in general from several countries. And in Mexico there are laboratories, kitchens, where methamphetamine is produced, in most cases".

El Universal