U.S. says it is taking “unprecedented” steps to disrupt supply of fentanyl, deadly drugs and precursor chemicals
The United States again included Nicaragua among the main countries for the transit or production of illicit drugs, according to the Memorandum on Presidential Determination of the Main Drug Production Countries for fiscal year 2025.
The Joe Biden Administration included Nicaragua and 22 other countries: Afghanistan, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. However, it does not explain the specific reasons why it keeps Nicaragua on the list.
The Biden Administration notes that the inclusion of a country on the list is not a reflection of its government’s drug-fighting efforts or its level of cooperation with the United States – and clarifies that this is not a sanction.
The United States explains, at the general level, that the reason why these countries are on the list is the combination of geographical, commercial and economic factors that allow the transit or production of drugs or chemical precursors, even if a government has implemented robust and diligent law enforcement and control measures.
Bolivia, Burma and Venezuela “fracasan,” in fight against drugs
According to the presidential memorandum, Bolivia, Burma and Venezuela have failed demonstrably – over the past 12 months in the fulfilment of their obligations under international agreements against drug trafficking.
I have also determined (…) that the U.S. programs that support Bolivia, Burma and Venezuela are vital to the national interests of the United States, the document says.
According to the United States, although the Government of Bolivia has taken positive steps to deal with coca cultivation, it must do more to safeguard the country’s licit coca markets from criminal exploitation, reduce illicit coca cultivation that continues to exceed the legal limits established by Bolivia ' s national laws for medical and traditional use, improve efforts to locate and intercept chemicals diverted through black market channels to process cocaine, and expand cooperation with international partners to dismantle transnational criminal networks.
Unprecedented measures.
Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that there were an estimated 107,743 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2023, a decrease of 3 percent from the 111,029 deaths estimated at 2022. This is the first annual drop in drug overdose deaths since 2018 and a sign that the administration’s historic investments are having an impact.
However, the United States claims that it is taking unprecedented measures to stop the supply of fentanyl, deadly drugs and chemical precursors. In addition, it notes that the Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP) has seized more fentanyl at ports of entry in the last two years than in the previous five combined. In 2023 alone, CBP seized approximately 1.2 billion doses of fentanyl, he adds.
While we expand our efforts at home, we also recognize this problem as global, which requires a coordinated international response, he adds.
Biden’s memo notes that cocaine cultivation in South America reached historic peaks, requiring urgent action by the countries of the region.
Colombia, a strong ally, continues to work closely with the United States to reduce cocaine production, conduct drug smuggling interdiction operations and dismantle criminal organizations involved in cocaine trafficking, the memorandum states.
This article has been translated after first appearing in La PrensaNi