what you need to know.

• The main exporter of Fentanyl precursors is China, with their main client being the Sinaloan Cartel.

• We arrived at this opioid epidemic through the narrative that these drugs were not addictive. Once it became clear that they were, many prescriptions stopped being filled, and users had to turn to the streets.

• The US implemented Operation Blue Lotus, and it is achieving some success, but in the big picture, it is not making a significant impact.

• There is hope, but solutions must stem from a place of compassion as we all work towards changing the perception of users and providing them with alternatives to cartel-produced Fentanyl.

buy fentanyl in china. 

In 2010, Ben Westhoff lost a close friend to a Fentanyl overdose. As an investigative journalist, he was determined to uncover the root of this issue. It didn’t take him long to discover that the vast majority of Fentanyl and its precursors (ingredients) originated from China.  

On May 1, 2019, China officially classified all forms of Fentanyl as a class of drugs and implemented measures to combat the abuse, trafficking and illegal production of the drug.

While these restrictions were a step in the right direction, the precursors for Fentanyl still remain legal in China. Open for business, the Sinaloa Cartel became the primary new producer of Fentanyl, obtaining their precursors from China. 

Now, let’s revisit Ben’s investigative journey, which ultimately inspired his 2019 book, ‘Fentanyl Inc’. His online searches only took him so far. So in 2018, Ben decided to infiltrate a Chinese drug lab where Fentanyl was being produced. 

How’d he do it?  

He Googled ‘Buy Fentanyl in China’ and began reaching out to labs as a potential client. Posing as a drug dealer named Johnny Webster, Ben asked if he could visit the labs before making a purchase. A few agreed, so Ben got on a plane to China. 

During his trip to China, he quickly came to the realization that Yuancheng was the largest entity in China selling Fentanyl precursors. The conglomerate had multiple shell companies.

Ben met the CEO, Chuen Fat Yip, who informed him that Yuancheng had over 700 employees and at least 30 different branches throughout China, with their primary goal of selling these chemicals abroad. 

His discovery and story made international news, leading to the crackdown in 2019. In 2021, the US Department of Justice indicted Yip, and a $5 million reward was placed for information leading to his capture. Yip remains at large. 

big pharma.

But why is this even an issue? How did we get here?

In 1960, Dr. Paul Janssen, a Belgian chemist, became the first to synthesize Fentanyl. It proved to be 100 times more potent than morphine, offering the advantage of faster onset and shorter duration—particularly beneficial for surgeries such as open-heart procedures.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, there was a significant surge in the prescription of opioid painkillers. Pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that these drugs were not addictive. One notable entity you might recognize is Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. Their aggressive marketing of OxyContin led to numerous lawsuits due to downplaying the drug's addictive nature.

Efforts to address the crisis included stricter regulations on opioid prescriptions. However, this inadvertently led long-term users to seek cheaper and more accessible alternatives, with Heroin becoming a common choice.

In recent years, Fentanyl has slowly become the drug of choice over Heroin, driven by potency, lower cost, and availability. The potency of Fentanyl has created challenges for some users who attempt to revert back to Heroin after trying the stronger drug.

what is in the streets.

Fentanyl is one of the deadliest drugs on the market, being 50 times more potent than Heroin. Just 2 milligrams can prove fatal to a grown adult, making it the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 49.

For context, a grain of rice typically weighs between 20 to 40 milligrams. Therefore, a quantity of Fentanyl equivalent to the weight of a single grain of rice could potentially result in the deaths of ten to twenty people.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in opioid overdoses in both Canada and America, with many cases directly linked to Fentanyl.

When someone overdoses, the part of their brain that signals the lungs to breathe shuts down. A shot of Naloxone or Narcan can swiftly reverse the effects of an overdose.

Remember how the shorter duration was beneficial for the medical community? Well it's crucial to note that the potency of Fentanyl diminishes faster than that of other substances.

Unlike Heroin, which has a more prolonged effect, Fentanyl users need to replenish their dosage every two or three hours. To extend the duration, the animal sedative Xylazine has made its way into the streets and is now commonly mixed with Fentanyl, often without the user's knowledge.

Referred to as 'tranq' on the streets, Xylazine brings about a gruesome side effect—rotting flesh. Wounds caused by this substance don't heal and can continue to erode flesh until they reach the bone or necessitate amputation.

What's particularly alarming about the flesh-eating side effect is that Narcan is ineffective when Fentanyl is combined with Xylazine.

To fuel their addiction, many users resort to theft, prostitution, or other criminal activities. Unfortunately, instead of receiving support from society, opioid users are often punished and dehumanized.

operation blue lotus. 

El Chapo and the Sinaloa Cartel stand out in infamy compared to the relatively lesser-known Chuen Fat Yip. Operating as one of the world's most influential drug cartels, the Sinaloa Cartel takes a substantial role in manufacturing and importing Fentanyl for widespread distribution in the United States.

Have you come of the Chinese Triad or the 14k Triad? These organized crime groups have forged alliances with Mexican Cartels. If you have the time, Vice has produced a compelling documentary delving into the intricacies of this collaboration.

On May 31, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security announced that:

In just two months, authorities confiscated 10,000 pounds of Fentanyl. To put this into perspective, the US Customs and Border Protection reported seizing approximately ~14,700 pounds of Fentanyl in the entire year of 2022. The efforts of this initiative are undeniably making a profound impact.

But is it enough?

While we acknowledge and respect the daily sacrifices made by law enforcement, it’s crucial to highlight the gravity of the situation. In 2022. the amount of Fentanyl seized was enough to potentially kill 3.3 billion people. Some more basic math below 👇

But what percentage is being stopped at the border? 2%? 12%? 20%?

Whatever it is, it is not 100%. And the government is spending billions on this violent war on drugs!

We can’t stop drugs from getting into prisons, so how are we going to stop drugs from getting into the country?

On Tuesday, October 3, 2023, the Justice Department announced eight indictments against China-based chemical manufacturing companies and employees. 

Throwing money at preventing drugs from coming into the country so far is not working. Perhaps it is time to focus some of those billions of dollars within the country.

do you eat sugar.

Do you eat sugar? It's a serious question.

If, like the vast majority of people, you do, try going one day without any sugar except from fruit. Notice how challenging it is to stop consuming sugar. If you find it manageable for a day, consider extending the challenge to a week.

The reality is that many individuals are addicted to opioids, and the current approach of simply depriving them of drugs often leads to drastic measures. Their bodies physically crave it.

Should we decriminalize it? No. Not yet anyway. Decriminalizing drugs without establishing the proper infrastructure for recovery, detox, and treatment is not advisable. Search for 'Portland Oregon drug problem' on Google.

On November 3, 2020, Oregonians passed Ballot Measure 110, making Oregon the first state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs. Unfortunately, the city has seen a drastic decline. Fentanyl prices dropped, and incidents of theft and criminal activity increased.

Countries such as Portugal and Switzerland have successfully implemented drug decriminalization, but it's important to note that they had the necessary infrastructure in place.

The same cannot be said for many cities and states, and there's a reason behind it. In 1986, the United States enacted 21 U.S.C. S856, commonly known as the 'Crack House Statute.'

This poses a challenge for Overdose Protection Centres (OPCs) across the US. However, some places are starting to witness local support and success.

OnPoint NYC has become the first organization in the United States to launch two OPCs in New York. Despite being federally illegal, these centers have garnered local support and are positively impacting lives.

Vancouver also boasts the Crosstown Clinic. At the time of writing, according to their website, the Crosstown Clinic is the only clinic in North America to offer medical-grade Heroin and the legal analgesic hydromorphone within a supervised clinical setting to chronic substance use patients. But we'll likely delve into Vancouver's situation in another article.

During a recent TedTalk, Ben discussed potential solutions to the drug epidemic, emphasizing that 80% of users never receive medical-assisted treatment.

While Methadone and Buprenorphine are commonly known as substitutes for opioid addiction, Ben pointed out their addictive nature. He advocated for the underutilized and non-addictive drug, Naltrexone. Some refer to its extended-release form as Vivitrol.

He further stressed the necessity of incorporating education in schools to provide children with knowledge about the dangers they may face.

Governments should reassess the 'Crack House Statute' and consider providing a safe supply of opioids to long-time addicted users. On a broader scale, it's essential to stop dehumanizing these individuals and recognize that each person on the streets is someone's child.

As we navigate through these challenges, it’s crucial to acknowledge the efforts in intercepting drugs and disrupting cartel supply chains. However, a comprehensive and compassionate approach demands the provision of viable alternatives.

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