January 24th, 2023 by WCBC Radio

Congressman David Trone (D-MD) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to prioritize addressing the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) role in illicit synthetic opioid trafficking during his upcoming meeting with Foreign Minister Qin Gang early next month. Rep. Trone sent the letter amid record-breaking fatalities from drug overdoses in the United States. During the most recent twelve-month period available, fatal overdoses from synthetic opioids claimed the lives of 73,000 Americans – equal to 200 deaths per day. 

 

In the letter, Trone highlights the recommendations by the U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, which he co-chaired with Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR). The Commission found that chemical companies in the PRC are the main production and distribution sources for fentanyl precursors that are then shipped to Mexico and manufactured into illicit fentanyl, often in the form of counterfeit pills.