India and China have been identified by the US intelligence community as "state actors" that supply precursor chemicals to criminal organizations for the manufacture of fentanyl for the first time. 

A report released on Tuesday by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) revealed that fentanyl caused the deaths of over 52,000 Americans in the 12 months leading up to October 2024. The report also highlighted that fentanyl remains one of the deadliest drugs smuggled into the United States. Earlier, India was mentioned as one of several countries supplying precursor chemicals to Mexican groups. However, China was consistently identified as the main supplier.

“Nonstate groups are often enabled, both directly and indirectly, by state actors, such as China and India, as sources of precursors and equipment for drug traffickers,” said the report by the US intelligence community. Former President Donald Trump has emphasized that fighting opioid abuse is a top priority. According to an NPR report, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, stated that although drug-related deaths have begun to decrease, the Trump administration still considers the opioid crisis a national security emergency.

The NPR report mentioned that Trump connected fentanyl smuggling to the tariffs placed on Canada, Mexico, and China. On February 1, the U.S. added a 10% tariff on Chinese imports, saying China hasn’t done enough to stop fentanyl trafficking. Fentanyl became a major street drug in the US around 2012, replacing heroin and prescription painkillers as the most dangerous opioid sold by illegal drug networks. During Trump’s first term as President, deaths caused by fentanyl increased sharply, rising by more than 30% in 2020 alone.