Fentanyl is now the leading cause of fatal drug overdoses. In 2017 alone, 49,000 Americans lost their lives to fentanyl.
What is the source of the synthetic opioid, abuse of which leads to this senseless loss of life? China is the principal culprit.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has identified China as the primary source of illicit fentanyl and the painkiller’s analogues that enter our country.
Drug traffickers use two primary techniques for delivering fentanyl manufactured in China: It is either is shipped directly into the U.S. via international mail or shipped into Mexico to be smuggled into America.
Fentanyl is a unique drug in several ways. The profit margin is remarkable: A $3,000 investment can produce $1,500,000 in earnings.
A laboratory-made drug, fentanyl requires less time and space to produce than its agricultural counterpart, heroin. Chemists can manufacture fentanyl in small labs and use easy shipment methods.
The amount of fentanyl necessary to produce its painkilling effect is so small that manufacturers can ship it in ordinary packages such as envelopes used for ordinary letters.
Cheap production isn’t the only economic benefit suppliers have on their side. Fentanyl is said to produce a better high and be more addictive and potent than heroin (50 to 100 times more powerful).
This poison isn’t affecting only addicts. In some cases, first responders have inhaled airborne fentanyl, resulting in a contact overdose.
We know that fentanyl is exceptionally dangerous. The question is: How do we fight its distribution?
A critical step is finding supply routes, with the ultimate goal of stopping the illegal movement of fentanyl into the U.S. from overseas.
Read the full story from The Daily Signal
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