Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat CSIS
Chivis Note: Concentrating on China’s
precursor market or China Fentanyl , is spinning our wheels, however looking
towards India, another giant drug market is not only pragmatic but critical…. Tramadol?
Indian tramadol networks have even been linked to ISIS and Boko Haram....With India, the United States has
something to work with. NOW, rather than
later.
Fentanyl is at the center of the
opioid crisis in the United States. It is used as a direct substitute for
heroin, but it is 50 times more powerful than heroin. Fentanyl is a synthetic
opioid, meaning it requires precursor chemicals to manufacture, and it is
prescribed as a pain medication. In the past two years, however, illicit
manufacturing and importing of fentanyl has skyrocketed. The death rate from
synthetic drug use reflects this trend.
China is the number one supplier
of fentanyl to the United States. China is also the main supplier to Canada and
Mexico. Cartels in the latter usually then smuggle it into the United States.
After years of persistent efforts, the U.S.-China bilateral crackdown on opioid
trafficking has started to see recent success. In mid- October, two Chinese
nationals were indicted for running a large illicit fentanyl distribution
network and their three American accomplices were arrested.
Fentanyl exported from China to
the United States comes in several different forms: fentanyl, its precursor
chemicals, fentanyl variants, and fentanyl-laced counterfeit prescription
opioids.5 India exports many controlled and prescription drugs to the United
States, including fentanyl. Indian fentanyl exports to the United States are a
fraction of those from China, but India does export tramadol, which is a
growing issue for the United States. However, unlike China, which has now
designated over 100 fentanyl variants and precursors on its list of controlled
substances,6 India has not placed fentanyl, or most other opioids, on its
controlled substances list, easing production and export. India only regulates
17 of the 24 basic precursor chemicals for fentanyl (as listed by the UN 1988
Convention against Drugs).
In the Middle East and Africa,
the less potent opioid tramadol, not fentanyl, is responsible for the opioid
crisis. India is the biggest supplier.
Tramadol