The United States Congress’ Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party launched an investigation into the role of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the fentanyl crisis. “CCP’s Role in the Fentanyl Crisis” is the Committee’s report on that investigation. The report begins with statistics on the damaging effects of fentanyl in the U.S. It asserts that fentanyl claims over 200 American lives daily and is the leading cause of death for those aged 18-45. According to the investigation, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the “ultimate geographic source” of the crisis. Nearly all of the illicit fentanyl precursors are produced by Chinese companies and these precursors are the key ingredients that encompass the fentanyl trade.

In order to investigate, the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party ran a deep-dive into the PRC websites, government documents, and undercover communications with PRC drug trafficking companies, along with other measures. According to the report, the PRC government offers tax rebates to any company willing to produce and export the illicit materials. Included in the report are startling screenshots of the webpages advertising the illicit materials and illegal transactions.

Section V of the report offers policy solutions to consider.

The Select Committee asserts that Congress should:

• Establish a Joint Task Force;
• Provide law enforcement entities with necessary tools, support and authority to execute responsibilities;
• Impose sanctions on those involved in the fentanyl trade;
• Enact customs enforcement measures to restrict drug trafficking; and
• “Close regulatory and enforcement gaps exploited by PRC money launderers and fentanyl traders.”

For more information, check out HSDL’s In Focus topic on Fentanyl and Opioids.