Biden threatens SANCTIONS to stop flow of fentanyl into the U.S. over southern border

Joe Biden is responding to the staggering increase in fentanyl overdoses by cracking down on the supply chain of synthetic opioids, most of which enter the US through the southern border.

The president’s imposition of sanctions comes as Republicans step up their calls for military action in Mexico — and even bombing — to prevent the drug cartels from continuing the flow of deadly fentanyl into the country.

According to the National Safety Council, nearly 71,000 U.S. deaths in 2021 were related to overdoses of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, a 26 percent increase from 2020.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) ruled in a December report that “most” fentanyl distributed by two massive cartels is “mass-produced in secret factories in Mexico using chemicals largely sourced from China.”

The Biden administration released a fact sheet on Tuesday morning detailing steps it plans to take to address the massive increase in illegal drug trafficking from Mexico, which is only exacerbated by the crisis on the southern border.

The most important step would be to enact sanctions in an effort to financially cripple the illegal drug syndicates, which the Republicans want to classify as foreign terrorist organizations because they claim they operate “more like ISIS than the mafia.”

“Drug traffickers, driven primarily by profit, require significant funds to keep their illegal supply chains functioning,” notes the White House fact sheet. “The Biden-Harris administration will expand its efforts to disrupt the illicit financial activities that fund these criminals through increased accountability, including financial sanctions, for key goals of hindering drug traffickers’ access to the U.S. financial system and illicit financial flows .’

But Republicans are likely to say economic sanctions don’t go far enough to address the crisis.

While the Texas National Guard has already been deployed to the border in recent years with the spike in illegal immigration, some Republicans want military action in Mexico to address the root of the problem.

Republican Representatives Dan Crenshaw of Texas and Mike Waltz of Florida, a former Green Beret, introduced a bill that would authorize military force to wage “war with the cartels.”

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton also said he is open to drug cartel leaders sending troops to Mexico — as long as the U.S.’s southern neighbors agree.

“We need to start thinking about these groups as ISIS rather than the Mafia,” Rep. Waltz told Politico.

Some government officials have opposed designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, claiming that this title change would not affect any authority to act against the groups.

Migrants continue to flood the southern border, leading to more confusion and the ability of smugglers to enter the US with illegal drugs. Pictured: Hundreds of Venezuelan migrants approach the border on foot on Monday, April 10 from Juarez, Mexico to El Paso, Texas

“The Biden-Harris administration will expand its efforts to disrupt the illicit financial activities that fund these criminals through increased measures of accountability, including financial sanctions,” said a White House fact sheet on Tuesday about the fentanyl crisis.

The White House noted in its fact sheet on the fentanyl crisis that the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has already identified nearly 100 individuals and entities for involvement in the illicit drug trade.

This, according to the government, includes those associated with major human trafficking organizations such as the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.

Republicans blame the drug crisis on Democrats, claiming that weak border policies have not only led to a massive migration crisis, but also created an environment ripe for drug smugglers to cross stealthily and transfer deadly shipments of fentanyl.

The Biden administration has hailed its massive seizure of fentanyl as evidence they are quelling the crisis, but Republicans point out that the amount coming through far exceeds what is being recovered.

The White House lists fentanyl recovered at the border, noting that the DEA seized more than 57.5 million fentanyl-laced pills and 13,740 pounds of powder in 2022.

In addition, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized £14,700 in the past fiscal year – a 31 per cent increase from the 2021 seizure.