On Wednesday, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York office held the third annual “Family Summit on Fentanyl” at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, focusing on the fentanyl crisis in New York City.
Participants included family members of numerous victims harmed by fentanyl, representatives from public health departments, law enforcement agencies, and various United States Department of Justice prosecutor’s offices. The summit aimed to gather insights from all perspectives to discuss ways to combat the fentanyl crisis and provide medical and preventive services for patients.
Officials from the New York DEA expressed concern over a more dangerous trend emerging in the city, where drug dealers are combining fentanyl with the animal tranquilizer xylazine, making this form of fentanyl even more toxic and without an antidote.
It was stated that fentanyl entering the United States is produced by manufacturers in China, exported to Mexico under the subsidy policies of the Chinese Communist government, where drug traffickers manufacture various fentanyl pills for distribution into the United States to kill Americans.
At the summit, Frank Tarentino, head of the New York DEA, cited staggering statistics to emphasize the severity of the fentanyl crisis in the United States and New York. In 2022 alone, 110,000 people died from fentanyl, but over 560,000 Americans are actually affected by fentanyl annually.
He stressed that each person lost to fentanyl affects five others, which makes the impact far greater than just the reported numbers. Tarentino highlighted the increasing lethality of fentanyl on the streets, revealing alarming statistics about the amount of fentanyl seized nationwide and in New York.
Furthermore, the fentanyl found in the New York market contains xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that prolongs the drug’s effects, making fentanyl even more dangerous as naloxone, the drug used to treat fentanyl overdoses, is ineffective against xylazine since it is not an opioid.
Dr. Jason Graham, chief medical examiner of New York City, stated at the meeting that fentanyl began appearing in 2015-2016, leading to record-high drug overdose deaths every year since. He pointed out that over 3,000 people in New York City die annually from opioid overdoses, primarily caused by fentanyl.
Tarentino informed attendees that thousands of chemical factories in China legally produce precursor chemicals for illegal drugs, which are then transported to Mexico and used to manufacture the fentanyl seized by the DEA in the U.S.
He emphasized the challenges in shutting down these operations due to the legitimate uses of these chemical precursors and discussed ongoing efforts to combat the problem, including sanctions and other measures.
Tarentino stressed the importance of collaboration between the DEA and local, state, and federal agencies to ensure community safety and public health. He expressed determination to hold accountable individuals and organizations involved in trafficking fentanyl to harm young people and bring their money back into the U.S.
The summit served as a platform for critical discussions and collaborative efforts to address the fentanyl crisis, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive strategies and international cooperation to combat the growing threat posed by fentanyl in New York City and across the United States.