On a mission to amplify the Biden administration's crackdown on fentanyl distribution, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has arrived in Atlanta. There, she declared new sanctions aimed at the heart of La Nueva Familia Michoacana, a Mexican drug cartel notorious for its violent grip on drug-trafficking operations. The sanctions target eight key players in the organization, which has been embroiled in territorial wars with rival cartels while trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, meth, and involving itself in the migrant smuggling trade amidst a surge of migration to the United States, as reported by WABE.
At the Richard B. Russell Federal Building, Yellen sent a stark message underscoring the administration's unwavering commitment. "Combatting the trafficking of fentanyl is a significant challenge," she stated. "It will not be solved overnight. But let me be clear: The President and I will do everything we can to combat this crisis." Her declaration signaled a fortified approach against the epidemic of overdoses that fentanyl has represented in recent years. Yellen also took the opportunity to advise banks on the critical need for proactive measures in identifying and flagging transactions tied to the manufacturing ingredients of this synthetic killer, according to WABE.
Yellen's stern announcement rides the back of the Biden administration's latest offensive against the scourge of fentanyl after President Joe Biden signed the FEND off Fentanyl Act into Federal law, a marked response to the labeling of international fentanyl trafficking as a national emergency. The initiatives echo the harrowing statistics delivered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that register an exponential hike in drug overdose deaths over the past six years, with the most lethal perpetrator being fentanyl.
As a result of the sanctions, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, deeply rooted in Guerrero and holding sway over both southern and central Mexico, finds itself on the receiving end of the US's toughened stance. The cartel's trajectory has shifted from operations in methamphetamine to becoming a target in synthetic opioid manufacturing and distribution, a business decision that has backfired, especially after last year's penalties against the Hurtado brothers for their role in producing colorful fentanyl tablets targeted at youth. Against this backdrop, the Drug Enforcement Administration continues to emphasize Mexico and China as main sources for the illicit flow of fentanyl and its precursors into U.S. streets.
