File:FENTANYL- CARTELS' SCARIEST AND MOST INNOVATIVE PRODUCT YET (IA fentanylcartelss1094564084).pdf

Opioid dependence in the United States has reached unprecedented levels, having risen substantially since 2012. Fentanyl’s contribution to the opioid epidemic has been of particular concern and has caught the attention of the highest levels of the U.S. government. Despite the federal government’s efforts to address opioid dependence and to combat the trafficking of illicit fentanyl into the United States, deaths involving synthetic opioids continue to rise. While myriad news and medical articles on fentanyl have been published—especially as media coverage of the opioid epidemic increases—a major gap exists in non-medical scholarly research on the substance. This research fills that gap by providing a single repository of some of the most pertinent information on fentanyl. It answers the following questions: What is fentanyl? What is its relationship to the ongoing opioid crisis? How and why did cartels incorporate fentanyl into their business model? By answering these questions, this research provides policymakers and law enforcement officials with sufficient information to properly gauge the scope and intricacies of illicit fentanyl trafficking so that they may develop effective counter-strategies for this complex problem set.

Subjects: cartel; fentanyl; innovation; drug trafficking; opioid; painkiller; synthetic; war on drugs; counter-narcotics; counter-drug; cocaine; heroin; criminal organization; business model; illegal drug; black market; Mexican cartel; Colombian cartel; supply and demand