America is in the midst of its worst drug crisis, with fentanyl—an incredibly potent, man-made opioid—wreaking havoc across the nation.
According to the DEA, nearly all fentanyl entering the U.S. is produced in Mexico by the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, using chemicals sourced from China.
More than 70,000 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses last year, surpassing the total U.S. military casualties in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan combined.
Angela King and Mike O’Kelley tragically lost their 20-year-old son, Jack, to a fentanyl overdose last Thanksgiving.
Jack, a junior at the University of Georgia, thought he was buying Xanax and cocaine but unknowingly took a counterfeit pill laced with fentanyl.
His parents, who discovered him unresponsive, are part of a growing number of families devastated by fentanyl’s reach.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram warns the nation is “losing a generation,” as fentanyl claims lives in every state.
Fentanyl, 50 times more powerful than heroin, is often disguised as prescription pills, making it even deadlier. Just two milligrams can kill.
The U.S. government has targeted the entire fentanyl supply chain, from Chinese chemical suppliers to Mexican cartel members.
Despite significant seizures—27,000 pounds of fentanyl in 2023—experts like Commissioner Troy Miller of U.S.
Customs and Border Protection say more resources are needed to combat the crisis. Cartels, always evolving, use sophisticated methods to smuggle the drug, primarily through legal ports of entry.
Former prosecutor Sherri Hobson argues that the opioid epidemic paved the way for cartels to dominate the fentanyl market after the U.S. pharmaceutical industry was forced to cut back on opioids.
Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have also become dangerous tools, facilitating drug sales and exacerbating the crisis.
With fentanyl now the leading cause of death for young Americans, families like Jack O’Kelley’s are calling for greater awareness and action, underscoring the grim reality that this new drug war is far from over.
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