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President Trump swiftly stepped into action during his first week since returning to the White House, declaring that transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) pose an unprecedented national security threat, far surpassing the dangers of traditional drug cartels or old-fashioned organized crime. Then he proceeded to demand cooperation from Mexico, Canada and China to rid the US of the deadly cartels.

TCOs have waged a relentless "campaign of violence and terror" across the Western Hemisphere, destabilizing regions and flooding the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and ruthless gangs.

The crisis also disproportionately affects Black and Latino populations who experience the most overdose deaths. 

In 2020, Black males in Washington, D.C., faced the highest recorded mortality rate, with 134 fentanyl overdose deaths per 100,000—9.4 times the rate for White males.

Over the past 25 years, more than 727,000 Americans have died from opioid overdoses, marking a tenfold increase in mortality rates from 1999 to 2022.

Nearly half of these deaths occurred between 2017 and 2022, with 81,806 lives lost in 2022 alone. Synthetic opioids, primarily illegally manufactured fentanyl, contribute an estimated 90 percent of these deaths

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The Role of TCOs in the Drug Trade 

The global supply chain for fentanyl involves complex geopolitical dynamics, particularly with the People's Republic of China and Mexican drug cartels.

From 2014 to 2019, approximately 70-80 percent of confiscated fentanyl in the United States originated in Chinese labs. Today, most fentanyl is produced in Mexico using precursor chemicals sourced from China. Mexican cartels, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, dominate this trade by leveraging alliances with Chinese triads to access chemical precursors.

Exploiting Security Weaknesses 

TCOs play a significant role in facilitating the movement of these dangerous substances, exploiting economic disparities and endemic corruption within state institutions and security forces. These organized crime groups have shifted their focus toward synthetic drugs due to their high potency and compact nature, making them easier to smuggle while yielding higher profits than traditional narcotics.

The cartels employ sophisticated tactics to evade detection, including mislabeling shipments, pressing fentanyl into counterfeit prescription pills, and exploiting regulatory loopholes.

 They utilize existing logistical networks to move substances through Mexican ports and into the United States via multiple routes, including land, air, and sea. Concentrated illicit activities in strategic locations suggest advantages for smuggling operations, even in high-volume legal cargo areas.