Fentanyl sanctions bill would hold China, other countries accountable for illicit fentanyl production

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Due to lack of enforcement in China concerning its illicit fentanyl producers, the Senate passed the first-ever fentanyl sanctions bill that would pressure the Chinese government to crackdown on the illegal production and shipment.

At the urging of U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 on Thursday, which includes the bipartisan Fentanyl Sanctions Act.

“We must hold China, currently the world’s largest producer of illicit fentanyl, accountable for its role in the trade of this deadly drug. Our Senate-passed bipartisan bill will do just that,” Schumer said.

“For years, Chinese laboratories have been cooking up formulas of death and freely exporting lethal fentanyl across New York and to many other places across America where it’s killing tens of thousands of people — it has to stop,” Schumer said.

The bill would hold other countries accountable for their commitments to crack down on production of illicit opioids.

Following the G-20 summit in December 2018, China stated it would declare all fentanyl derivatives a controlled substance and enforce the laws surrounding it, however, it has struggled to do so.

The country continues to deny that it’s a major supplier of illicit fentanyl in the United States.

Specifically, the legislation would:

• Require sanctions to be imposed on Chinese manufacturers who knowingly provide synthetic opioids to traffickers, like those in Mexico who mix fentanyl with other drugs and traffic them into the United States;
• Authorize new funding to law enforcement and other intelligence agencies to combat trafficking into the country;
• Establish a Commission on Synthetic Opioid Trafficking to monitor the United States’ efforts and report on how to more efficiently combat the flow of synthetic opioids from China, Mexico, and elsewhere;
• Urge the president to commence diplomatic efforts with United States partners to establish multilateral sanctions against foreign synthetic opioid traffickers.

Waivers would be given to countries that take sufficient action to implement and enforce regulations.

The legislation must now go to the House for a vote.

Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) said: “China is the leading producer of the fentanyl that is killing our children and tearing apart our communities — we have to hold them accountable plain and simple.”

“China may say that they’re cracking down on illicit fentanyl production, but that doesn’t mean we should trust them. I’m encouraged to see the Senate act, now the House must do the same,” he said.