WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to crack down on illicit fentanyl, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs voted unanimously to advance the bipartisan Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act, a sanctions and anti-money laundering bill aimed at combatting the fentanyl crisis by targeting the illicit fentanyl supply chain, from the chemical suppliers in China to the cartels that traffic the drugs in from Mexico.  By strengthening current law and directing the Treasury Department to target, sanction, and block the financial assets of transnational criminal organizations, the FEND Off Fentanyl Act aims to stop the flow of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. by choking off the income source of those who traffic in synthetic opioids.

The bipartisan bill (S. 1271) was introduced on April 25 by U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS).  Since then it has picked up a total of 55 Senate cosponsors.

“This is about saving lives, strengthening communities, and stopping the flow of illicit fentanyl.  Passing this bill would put the U.S. on the offensive against fentanyl suppliers and transnational criminal organizations.  It would give the U.S. government new tools to block the flow of fentanyl and precursor chemicals to the United States and go after the supply chains and profits of international fentanyl traffickers.  We need a strategic, multi-pronged approach to disrupt the flow of fentanyl, including stronger counter-narcotics enforcement, demand reduction initiatives, and expanded access to lifesaving treatment,” said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Banking Committee.

Fentanyl, which comes in several forms, including liquid and powder, is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and is increasingly mixed with other illicit drugs and is hard for users to detect because they can’t tell if the drug they are taking contains fentanyl based off of smell, taste, or sight.

According to the latest data from the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), 434 Rhode Islanders died of drug overdoses last year, down one death from the 435 drug overdoses in 2021.  Fentanyl was involved in 75 percent of fatal overdose cases in Rhode Island last year, according to RIDOH and PreventOverdoseRI.org (PORI).

“Advancing this bill out of committee is a needed first step.  I urge the full U.S. Senate to take up and pass this bill to help disrupt and sanction fentanyl traffickers and go after their supply chains and money laundering operations.  This bipartisan bill would enhance coordinated interdiction efforts reduce the flow of illicitly manufactured fentanyl into our communities,” said Senator Reed.  “And we must continue to invest in effective treatment, prevention, and recovery programs that help save lives.”

The rate of U.S. drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl more than tripled from 2016 through 2021, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized over 379 million deadly doses of fentanyl -- enough to supply a lethal dose to every American.

The FEND Off Fentanyl Act is a sanctions and anti-money laundering bill that would:

  • Declare that the international trafficking of fentanyl is a national emergency.
  • Require the President to sanction transnational criminal organizations and drug cartels’ key members engaged in international fentanyl trafficking.
  • Enable the President to use proceeds of forfeited, sanctioned property of fentanyl traffickers to further law enforcement efforts.
  • Enhance the ability to enforce sanctions violations thereby making it more likely that people who defy U.S. law will be caught and prosecuted.
  • Require the administration to report to Congress on actions the U.S. government is taking to reduce the international trafficking of fentanyl and related opioids.
  • Allow the Treasury Department to utilize special measures to combat fentanyl-related money laundering.
  • Require the Treasury Department to prioritize fentanyl-related suspicious transactions and include descriptions of drug cartels' financing actions in Suspicious Activity Reports.