…US border officials note that fentanyl pills or powder can be easily concealed in pockets or backpacks, whereas cocaine or marijuana used to be smuggled into the US by the carload. And in some instances the drug can be ordered from overseas and delivered by post.
“To supply a city with heroin for a period of time you might have needed several very, very large truckloads. But to do the equivalent with synthetic opioids you might be able to fit the product into the trunk of a car,” says Bradley Stein, director of opioid policies at Rand Corporation, a think-tank.
The physical footprint of the criminal networks is light. The chemicals used to create the drugs are legal and widely available inside China, the same used to manufacture pesticides or paint, and the money that fuels the trade often changes hands as cryptocurrency, making it difficult to track.
Furthermore, the two countries through which the vast majority of the drugs are funneled — China and Mexico — each have strained relations with the US, threatening law enforcement collaboration or sometimes preventing it completely.
The linked article provides a good description of the problem and how fentanyl enters USA. Massive, unchecked export of fentanyl precursors from China to Mexico to USA is a form of chemical warfare against USA. ABN
American Buddhist Net 