Texas authorities bust fentanyl lab in Houston
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin has the latest on how Texas law enforcement located and disrupted a fentanyl lab operating out of Houston on ‘America’s Newsroom.’
The People’s Republic of China released a report Thursday highlighting drug use in the United States, despite the fact that most of the deadly fentanyl trafficked into the US comes from China.
The Chinese report rejected allegations by US officials and law enforcement that the communist nation is supplying the trade, seeking instead to place the blame on the Americans.
The report, titled “Drug Abuse in the United States,” details the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MFA) assessment of the cultural and governmental factors driving the deadly narcotics epidemic in the US. USA
FENTANYL OVERDOSES BECOME NO. 1 CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG AMERICAN ADULTS, AGES 18-45: ‘A NATIONAL EMERGENCY’
Fentanyl seized in Nogales, Arizona. Border agents and officials seized more than 1,900 pounds of the illicit drug in October. (CBP)
“For years, the US federal and state governments have pledged to vigorously address the drug problem, but have in fact failed to take any substantive action due to lobbying by various interest groups,” the China MFA said. “Drug abuse in the United States is a reflection of deep-rooted social problems and the result of an interplay of economic interests, lobbying, and social and cultural factors.”
The report places much of the blame for the current overdose epidemic on America’s “drug culture.” In particular, the report notes the US acceptance of marijuana as a driving force in the drug crisis.
GOP MOCKS BIDEN WHILE CALLING FOR A FENTANYL FIX: ‘IT’S HIS FAULT’ BORDER IS NOT CLOSED
President Xi Jinping attends the opening ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 16, 2022. (Reuters/Thomas Peter)
“As the US economy expanded after World War II, the rapid growth of national wealth created an unprecedentedly thriving consumer market, including an active drug trade,” the MFA wrote.
He continues: “In the 1960s, the nationwide hippie movement and the hippie culture it spawned were pervasive in the United States, a part of which was ‘drug culture.’ drugs’, drugs like cannabis and heroin quickly became popular among young people.
UN AMBASSADOR TRUMP PLEDGES ‘FULL COURT PRESS’ TO COMBAT CHINA’S ‘ABUSES’ OF FENTANYL IN THIS STATE IF ELECTED
The Drug Enforcement Administration seal is seen on a lectern before the start of a news conference at DEA headquarters June 26, 2013, in Arlington, Virginia. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, China is still the main source of fentanyl being imported into the United States, killing more than 100 Americans every day. It also continues to be the main source of fentanyl for the rest of the world.
“Currently, China remains the leading source of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances trafficked through the international mail and express delivery operations environment, as well as the leading source of all fentanyl-related substances trafficked to the United States,” states a 2020 DEA report.
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS FEW INCENTIVES TO STOP THE COUNTRY’S DRUG CARTELS FROM FEEDING THE US FENTANYL CRISIS
Texas authorities investigate a suspected fentanyl lab, January 30, 2023. (Texas Department of Public Safety)
Two techniques are used to ship the drug to the US. It is shipped to the US. directly by international mail or sent through Mexico. In some cases, Chinese sellers label these shipments of deadly drugs with Spanish-language advertisements to help clear customs. US lawmakers say crime syndicates in China operate with the knowledge of the Communist Party.
Thursday’s report from China rebuked attempts to blame China for the rise in fentanyl deaths in the US, saying government officials should take responsibility for their “ineffective response.”
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“The fight against drugs requires, above all, self-efforts. At the same time, it also needs cooperation among all countries. The United States should stop making unjustified accusations against China and undermining China-US anti-drug cooperation,” he said. said the MFA wrote. “Even less should he mislead the public and transfer responsibility for the ineffective response to drug abuse in the home to others.”
Jennifer Griffin and Liz Friden of Fox News contributed to this report.
