Drug Cartels Are Going Global — John Cornyn Wants to Stop Them

Although fentanyl deaths in the U.S. have declined as border enforcement efforts have increased, lawmakers warn that Mexican drug cartels are adapting by expanding their global networks.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has shown that illegal trafficking of fentanyl and other deadly drugs has decreased in recent years, but cartel activity remains a point of discussion in Congress. According to the DEA, fentanyl rates are still high, and other illegal drugs are increasing in trafficking.

“These are hopeful signs, but of course we cannot celebrate prematurely,” said Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), who chairs the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.

Sen. Cornyn is now leading a new effort to abolish what he describes as a “web of criminal connections” that cartels have distributed across the world.

“The cartels have strengthened ties with criminal groups all across the globe, which will only give them more opportunities to launder funds and make it harder to combat them,” he said.

One of the major partners for Mexican cartels is China, Sen. Cornyn said. He explained that many “precursors,” the chemicals used to make fentanyl, are often sourced from China. While past administrations have tried to work with the Chinese government to stop this, these chemicals also have legal uses, such as making medicines and other industrial products.

Doctor Vanda Felbab-Brown, director of the Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the administration can keep negotiating, but Chinese law does not have racketeering laws to hold criminal networks responsible. She said this allows Chinese traffickers to move non-scheduled chemicals while operating as traders.

“Chinese law enforcement says we cannot act against them,” Dr. Felbab-Brown said. “So, the most important element that we should be raising in our bilateral conversations with China related to drugs is to close this loophole.”

But Founder of Hoplon Consortium, a national security consulting firm, Michael Brown said we have tried to regulate these chemicals in the past, but now there are “pre-precursors” that can be made with products from any hardware store.

“The science has gotten more technical to now where the Mexican traffickers and the cooks are working in conjunction with the cooks in China who say, ‘Hey, here's a new recipe for methamphetamine,’ or ‘Here's a new recipe for fentanyl,’” Brown said.

Chris Urben, former special agent in charge at the DEA, said the larger issue is the lack of information the U.S. has on these groups, as China won’t share data. Without that information, it is difficult to track and stop these networks, he said.

“The Chinese control what's happening within China, so they can control those companies,” Urban said. “And it's that simple.”