Tariff threats take aim at fentanyl trafficking. Here's how the drug reaches the US
Source: Jesse Bedayn
The article presents Trump’s tariffs as a solution to the fentanyl crisis, rather than just a broader economic policy.
Despite China's previous crackdown on fentanyl, the statement "signalled major changes" suggests inaction.
This portrays Mexico's move as a response to Trump's leadership rather than something it would have done on its own.
President Donald Trump's plan to impose tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China is partly aimed at combating the illicit flow of fentanyl into the U.S., where the opioid is blamed for some 70,000 overdose deaths annually.
Mexico agreed Monday to send 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a deal with Trump to pause the tariffs for a month – and hold off levying its own.
Neither Canada nor China has signaled major changes to tackle the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., and each has said it would retaliate for any U.S. tariffs.
What role do Mexico, Canada and China play in fentanyl reaching the U.S.? And how much can their governments do?
Although the new Mexican administration likely did play a major role in decreasing the amount of fentanyl entering the US, the article downplays their significance.
Mexico announced in December the seizure of more than a ton of fentanyl pills in what it described as the largest bust of synthetic opioids in the country's history. The haul was striking because fentanyl seizures in Mexico had fallen dramatically in the first half of 2024.
Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador denied that fentanyl was even produced in Mexico, contradicting officials in his own administration.
This demonstrates that Canada was already acting, but the story minimizes independent initiatives by framing it as a reaction to Trump's tariffs.
Under President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October, Mexico's security forces appear to be far more aggressive than they were under her predecessor.
Facing tariff threats, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has highlighted his country's recent $1.3 billion investment in border enforcement, including chemical detection tools at entry ports and a new unit focused on the oversight of precursor chemicals.
“We, too, are devastated by the scourge that is fentanyl,” Trudeau said at a press conference Sunday. “As neighbors, we must work collaboratively to fix this. Unfortunately, the actions taken today by the White House split us apart instead of bringing us together.”
China defended its efforts to combat fentanyl in what has been years of touch-and-go cooperation with the U.S. China doesn't have the same fentanyl crisis among its own population, and doesn't view it as a priority, said Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Once Trump ordered the tariffs, Trudeau rebuked the move.
Although Vigil is questioning how effective troops at the border may be, the article immediately undermines the effectiveness of the criticism by discussing the need for more technology at the border.
Once fentanyl leaves the labs, it’s usually well concealed in hidden compartments of vehicles or in huge cargo trucks; better detection technology is crucial, in addition to more troops, he said.
This counter point is only mentioned briefly, and not explored further leaving the reader with unanswered questions.
Where does fentanyl come from?
The article discusses how successful Trump’s negotiation is, while downplaying Mexico’s agency in the matter.
To pause the tit-for-tat tariffs, Mexico agreed to immediately deploy 10,000 National Guard troops to the border to battle drug-trafficking, while the U.S. committed to do more to stop the trafficking of guns into Mexico, said Trump and Sheinbaum on social media.
The word ‘ordered’ makes Trump seem decisive, while the word ‘rebuked’ makes Trudeau seem passive.
Combating the production and movement of illicit fentanyl is particularly challenging.
Unlike heroin and cocaine, which are produced from plants, fentanyl is made with ingredients used for legal pharmaceutical drugs, and can be made in cheap labs that can be erected relatively quickly. And despite the dangers, demand in the U.S. for the highly addictive drug remains strong.
Mike Vigil, the former chief of international operations at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, said he was skeptical that Mexico’s extra troops at the border on their own would make much of a dent in trafficking.
The other challenge, Vigil said, is that combating the fentanyl trade will likely require more than just collaboration between the U.S. and its neighbors.
The ingredients in fentanyl are largely produced by companies in China and used by pharmaceutical companies to make legal painkillers.
But a portion of those chemicals is purchased by the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels in Mexico.
Cartels make the synthetic opioid in labs and then smuggle it into the U.S., largely at official land crossings in California and Arizona. The small amounts of fentanyl in any shipment – the drug is 50 times more potent than heroin – and its lack of odor, make detection and seizures extremely challenging.
Fentanyl is also made in Canada and smuggled into the U.S., but to a much lesser extent. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds (19.5 kilograms) of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds (9,570 kilograms) at the Mexican border.
The sole reference to China's involvement is presented as causing the issue rather than enforcing it.
What changed after Trump threatened tariffs?
How much can Mexico, Canada and China do?
“Even if Mexico, Canada and these other countries snap their fingers and did away with the drug trade, as long as we have that demand, there will be another country that will satisfy that demand.”
Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
The article ends with Trump’s strategy rather than opposing view points.