As fentanyl deaths have soared in recent years, Rep. Mike Gallagher blames China for supplying the fentanyl resulting in opioid overdose.
The US is pursuing Chinese companies involved in the fentanyl supply chain due to increasing opioid deaths. (Source: Supply Chain Brain)
Opioid Overdose Caused by Fentanyl
Gallagher, R-Wis., chairs the House Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, giving him a national forum on China matters. We’ll verify China’s fentanyl imports and deaths here. The assertion accurately counts fentanyl overdoses but misrepresents China’s participation in U.S. fentanyl trafficking. Jordan Dunn, Gallagher’s communications director, referred us to the CDC’s final and provisional drug overdose data when asked for backup, claiming Gallagher’s 80,000 figure suggested a rough estimate.
The CDC calls fentanyl “50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.” According to the CDC’s fentanyl homepage, illegally made drugs have fueled the opioid overdose pandemic in the last decade. Gallagher estimates come near to fentanyl overdoses. Between April 2022 and April 2023, the CDC reported 77,415 synthetic opioid overdose deaths, mostly fentanyl. According to the latest CDC data, 70,601 synthetic opioid overdose deaths occurred in 2021. About 90% of those deaths are from fentanyl.
Gallagher also claimed that China “sends fentanyl into America,” which experts say is misinformation. Vanda Felbab-Brown, a Brookings Institute foreign policy senior scholar, said Chinese drug producers mostly synthesize fentanyl compounds and sell them to Mexican gangs. After China outlawed fentanyl production in 2019, Felbab-Brown stated producers resorted to selling fentanyl-making ingredients. This made fentanyl entry into the U.S. more complicated.
READ ALSO: US Blames China for the Worldwide Fentanyl Trafficking
Several Reports Found Similar Conclusions
According to a 2022 Congressional Research Service assessment, Chinese traffickers no longer ship fentanyl directly to the U.S. Instead, chemists provide components to Mexican criminal organizations, who synthesize them. The 2023 US International Narcotics Control Strategy Report says Mexico is “the source of the vast majority” of illicit fentanyl confiscated in the U.S. Gallagher stated China pours “fentanyl into America killing 80,000 Americans a year.”
Over 70,601 synthetic opioid overdoses occurred in 2021 and an estimated 77,415 in 2022, reflecting Gallagher’s projection. Gallagher misrepresents China’s role in U.S. fentanyl supply. China used to supply illicit fentanyl straight to the U.S., but Mexico now makes it using Chinese chemicals.
READ ALSO: US Blames China for the Worldwide Fentanyl Trafficking
