US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order designating illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, arguing it is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic because just two milligrams can be lethal.
The order frames fentanyl as a national security threat, warning that organised criminal networks and cartels fund violence, terrorism and insurgencies through the trade and that the drug could be weaponised for large-scale terror attacks.
Calling the move historic, Trump said America’s adversaries traffic fentanyl to kill Americans, devastate families and cause more deaths annually than any bomb, prompting the formal classification. The White House said the order builds on a broader crackdown that includes designating some cartels as foreign terrorist organisations and authorising unprecedented air strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels linked to Venezuela.
While the US continues to blame China for supplying precursor chemicals to Mexican cartels, Beijing denies responsibility but has agreed to tighter export controls and licensing for key precursors following renewed diplomatic pressure. The order directs aggressive enforcement measures, including stepped-up investigations and prosecutions, financial sanctions, expanded military support, and coordinated action by the Justice, State, Treasury and Defence departments.
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