美国国家公共电台 NPR--Politicians say they'll stop fentanyl smugglers. Experts say new drug war won't work

Politicians say they'll stop fentanyl smugglers. Experts say new drug war won't work

Transcript²

President Biden said this weekend that he wants to launch a "major surge to stop fentanyl production and sale" that's driving 70,000 fatal overdoses in the U.S. every year.

There's fierce bipartisan pressure in Washington right now to do whatever it takes to stop Mexican drug cartels smuggling³ illicit⁴ fentanyl over the border.

But reporting by NPR found a broad consensus⁵ among drug policy experts that strategies now being put forward are unrealistic and won't keep fentanyl off American streets.

"My belief is there's absolutely no way to stop it," said Rep. David Trone, a Maryland Democrat⁶ who co-chaired a bipartisan commission on fentanyl smuggling.

Mexico's former ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukhan, agrees drug interdiction⁷ efforts likely won't stop fentanyl.

"As long as both countries continue to hew⁸ to the old paradigms⁹, which have not worked, absolutely not, we will not be moving the needle," Sarukhan told NPR.

Despite widespread skepticism, there's growing bipartisan talk of a renewed drug war, and tougher border policies, driven by the unprecedented¹⁰ surge of fentanyl deaths across the U.S.

What U.S. politicians are promising¹¹

In recent months, fentanyl has exploded to the top of the agenda in Washington.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border last week and called for more aggressive measures to stop traffickers.

"You cannot tell us this border is secure when now there's enough fentanyl in this country to kill every single American more than 20 times over," the California Republican said. "This has all got to change. That's our commitment and that's what we'll make happen."

Republicans first politicized the fentanyl crisis during the midterms last November, falsely linking drug smuggling with undocumented migrants.

Now Democrats¹², too, are calling on the Biden administration to do more to pressure Mexican officials to crack down on the cartels.

"We work with our Mexican friends with kid gloves on this issue, and it's fundamentally wrong," Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, a New Jersey¹³ Democrat, said at a hearing on fentanyl last week. "I don't know how many more lives have to be lost for Mexico to get engaged."

During that hearing, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Anne Milgram, said her agency is building an international effort designed to take down the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels, which produce and smuggle¹ most of the fentanyl entering the U.S.

"The DEA has made defeating those two cartels our top operational priority," she said.

But drug policy experts interviewed by NPR say these ideas — pressuring Mexico, further securing the border and defeating the cartels — are unlikely to succeed.

Experts say fentanyl smuggling increased sharply in recent years. In 2022 alone, the DEA seized more than 50 million fake prescription¹⁴ pills laced with fentanyl along with more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder.

That's a doubling of fentanyl seizures¹⁵ from just a year before. It's widely believed far more fentanyl is reaching American streets.

The cartels just keep getting stronger, fueled by fentanyl profits

One flaw in the U.S. strategy, experts say, is that the Mexican government is simply too weak to take on the cartels no matter how much diplomatic pressure Washington applies.

Sarukhan, Mexico's former ambassador to the U.S., said only a handful of law enforcement agencies in his country are willing or able to engage with the powerful drug gangs.

"There's no doubt that endemic corruption¹⁶, impunity¹⁷, a weak rule of law are Mexico's achilles heels," Sarukhan said. "That means fentanyl and methamphetamine labs operate in Mexico with almost no pressure."

The first time the U.S. can do anything about these drugs is when they cross the border, almost always passing through official checkpoints hidden in cars or commercial trucks driven by American citizens.

President Biden and others have argued for improving technology designed to detect fentanyl at those crossings, but the drug is uniquely difficult to detect and stop.

Fentanyl is so powerful, it can be smuggled¹⁸ in tiny quantities. If a single backpack full of the synthetic¹⁹ opioid reaches the U.S., it can feed the street demand in an entire region of the country.

Vanda Felbab-Brown, an expert on the Mexican cartels at The Brookings Institution, says while Washington talks tough, the cartels have grown stronger.

"They govern territories, people, economies and in fact they also govern institutions," she said.

Felbab-Brown points to "dramatic levels of corruption and dramatic levels of infiltration²⁰ of the cartels into judicial²¹ and law enforcement institutions in Mexico" that make it nearly impossible for the Mexican government to help the U.S. in the drug war.

In recent years, U.S. officials have identified cartel-related corruption at the highest levels of the Mexican government. The former head of Mexico's equivalent of the FBI, Genaro Garcia Luna, is currently on trial in New York City, after being arrested in Dallas, Texas, in 2019.

Diplomatic breakdowns²² make the fentanyl fight even harder

During the Trump²³ administration, Mexico backed away from almost all drug interdiction partnerships²⁴ with the U.S., and things haven't improved much since.

At last week's Senate hearing, the DEA's Milgram said there's so little cooperation that her agents can't take down known fentanyl labs or even get good intel from Mexican cops. "We are not getting information on fentanyl seizures; we are not getting information on seizures of precursor²⁵ chemicals," she acknowledged.

Mexico is not the only problem for U.S. officials focused on the fentanyl problem.

The chemicals used to make the synthetic opioid come from China. But as disputes over Taiwan and other issues have escalated²⁶, the Chinese government has suspended most drug-fighting collaborations with Washington.

"Rather than demonstrate global leadership by engaging in efforts to rein²⁷ in illicit precursor production and trafficking ... [Beijing] is instead choosing to not engage," Dr. Rahul Gupta, who heads the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, testified during last week's Senate hearing.

Could this drug war become an actual war?

Some Republican governors, lawmakers and state attorneys general have called for the U.S. government to designate the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels as terrorist organizations comparable to al-Qaida or ISIS.

In September, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a symbolic²⁸ executive order in his state classifying drug smugglers as terrorists. "Fentanyl is a clandestine²⁹ killer³⁰, and Texans are falling victim to the Mexican cartels that are producing it," he said. "Cartels are terrorists, and it's time we treated them that way.

Former President Donald Trump considered a terrorist classification for the cartels and reportedly entertained the idea of missile strikes against drug labs inside Mexico.

The Biden administration has resisted that kind of escalation³¹, and Rep. Trone agrees that it would be a grave mistake. "We could do major raids in Mexico with our military [but] it's not our country," Trone said. "It's their country. They've chosen not to go after the drug traffickers."

He believes that were the U.S. to fight an actual war against the cartels inside Mexico, it would destabilize that country in much the way wars in Afghanistan and Iraq destabilized those nations.

If fentanyl is here to stay, what do we do?

Even if China and Mexico were willing or able to help fight the cartels, stopping fentanyl smugglers would still be incredibly difficult.

The U.S. is actually seizing record amounts of fentanyl in drug busts³², but the drug is so cheap to manufacture, the cartels just make more.

That doesn't mean the fentanyl crisis is hopeless. According to Trone, a more promising strategy is to focus on reducing American hunger for drugs.

"That's the only chance we've got," he said. "Without the Mexican government's help, without the Chinese government's help, we can't win [against the smugglers]. So we have to go on the demand side, work on all the things with education, work on treatment, work on prevention."

Most drug policy experts agree the public health model is a more promising way to save lives. They also say public fears about fentanyl will likely raise political pressure in Washington for a tough response on the border, whether it's effective or not.

1 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

4 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

5 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 interdiction   

n.禁止；封锁

参考例句：

• the Customs Service's drug interdiction programs 海关的毒品查禁方案
• In addition to patrol duty, blastboats are dispatched for planetary defense and interdiction missions. 除了例行巡逻，炮艇还被赋予行星防御和封锁的任务。

8 hew   

v.砍；伐；削

参考例句：

• Hew a path through the underbrush.在灌木丛中砍出一条小路。
• Plant a sapling as tall as yourself and hew it off when it is two times high of you.种一棵与自己身高一样的树苗，长到比自己高两倍时砍掉它。

9 paradigms   

n.（一词的）词形变化表( paradigm的名词复数 )；范例；样式；模范

参考例句：

• Evolution of 3 paradigms in modern karst study is reviewed. 回顾了近代岩溶学三种“范式”的更替历史。 来自互联网
• LMT provides 8 types of Learning-Map and the paradigms of each type. 学习导图技术提出了八种类型的学习导图，并分别给出图形范例加以说明。 来自互联网

10 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

11 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

12 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

14 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

15 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

16 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

17 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

18 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

19 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

20 infiltration   

n.渗透；下渗；渗滤；入渗

参考例句：

• The police tried to prevent infiltration by drug traffickers. 警方尽力阻止毒品走私分子的潜入。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A loss in volume will occur if infiltration takes place. 如果发生了渗润作用，水量就会减少。 来自辞典例句

21 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

22 breakdowns   

n.分解( breakdown的名词复数 )；衰竭；（车辆或机器的）损坏；统计分析

参考例句：

• Her old car was unreliable, so the trip was plagued by breakdowns. 她的旧车老不听使唤，一路上总是出故障。 来自辞典例句
• How do we prevent these continual breakdowns? 我们如何防止这些一再出现的故障？ 来自辞典例句

23 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

24 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

25 precursor   

n.先驱者；前辈；前任；预兆；先兆

参考例句：

• Error is often the precursor of what is correct.错误常常是正确的先导。
• He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.他说该笔交易不应该被看作是合并的前兆。

26 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

27 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

28 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

29 clandestine   

adj.秘密的，暗中从事的

参考例句：

• She is the director of clandestine operations of the CIA.她是中央情报局秘密行动的负责人。
• The early Christians held clandestine meetings in caves.早期的基督徒在洞穴中秘密聚会。

30 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

31 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

32 busts   

半身雕塑像( bust的名词复数 )； 妇女的胸部； 胸围； 突击搜捕

参考例句：

• Dey bags swells up and busts. 那奶袋快胀破了。
• Marble busts all looked like a cemetery. 大理石的半身象，简直就象是坟山。