The U.S. on Tuesday slapped sanctions on 17 individuals and entitites in China and Mexico that it says are involved in illicit pill production, often laced with fentanyl.
The targets of the new sanctions “are directly or indirectly involved in the sale of pill press machines, die molds, and other equipment used to impress counterfeit trade markings of legitimate pharmaceuticals onto illicitly produced pills, often laced with fentanyl, frequently destined for U.S. markets,” according to the Treasury Department.
The sanctions target seven entities and six individuals based in China, and one entity and three individuals based in Mexico, the department said.
“Treasury’s sanctions target every stage of the deadly supply chain fueling the surge in fentanyl poisonings and deaths across the country,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson in the release.
“Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl constitute a leading cause of these deaths, devastating thousands of American families each year,” Nelson continued. “We remain committed to using all authorities against enablers of illicit drug production to disrupt this deadly global production and counter the threat posed by these drugs.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken specified in a release that the sanctions were coordinated with the Mexican government and target “entities and individuals involved in criminal activities, not specific countries.”
“Today’s actions further bolster those previously taken by the Biden-Harris administration as part of a whole-of-government offensive to save lives by disrupting illicit fentanyl supply chains around the globe,” Blinken said.