Feb 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 2

GUEST COMENTARY
Michael Brown
How the People’s Republic of China’s foreign
policies impact street-level policing in the USA
Law enforcement agencies
across the United States are in
a daily battle against organized
drug trafficking organizations.
Their main objective of law
enforcement is to serve and
protect the public from criminal
activities that arise from the
distribution of narcotics, such
as fentanyl. They are also striving
to dismantle the drug supply
chains that smuggle fentanyl and
other narcotics across the southern
border. Once narcotics are
smuggled into the United States,
they travel through America’s
highway networks, small towns,
and cities, spreading their deadly
effects. Police departments,
particularly smaller ones, face a
growing complex fentanyl challenge.
The danger of cartel fentanyl
is not limited to just creating
thousands of individuals addicted
to a powerful street narcotic,
which is 50 times more potent
than heroin, but also those who
think they are taking a legitimate
prescription drug which turns
out to be a cartel fentanyl pill.
These individuals sometimes fall
into the web on new addiction or
worse yet, suffer a fatal overdose.
While the narcotics battle
is nationwide, smaller police
departments are least prepared
for the fight due to a shortage of
resources: human, equipment,
finances, and intelligence.
Fentanyl is primarily imported
from cartels in Mexico, but many
of the precursor chemicals (the
raw ingredients needed to produce
fentanyl) reach Mexico via
China. The U.S. has been trying
to collaborate with the Peoples
Republic of China (PRC) to
disrupt the fentanyl supply chain
at its source, requesting the PRC
to stop allowing the export of
essential precursors. In response,
the PRC passed laws in 2018 and
2019 to curb the export of fentanyl
and some precursors to the
United States. However, not all
precursors were restricted, and
it seems as if there was little
resolve on the part of the PRC
to enforce the current fentanyl
export laws.
Despite political rhetoric, the
PRC has not fulfilled its anti-narcotic
obligations, made promises
but delivered little in preventing
and prosecuting those in the
fentanyl supply chain. In October
2023, the US Justice Department
announced indictments against 8
Chinese chemical companies and
12 of their employees for their
role in supplying and distributing
synthetic opioids and precursors
in America. Similarly, four
Chinese companies and eight
executives and employees were
indicted on similar charges in
June 2023. It remains to be seen
whether the PRC will prosecute
or even investigate.
On a more positive note, after
a November 2023 meeting between
the PRC’s President Xi Jinping
and U.S. President Joseph R.
Biden, the PRC agreed to impose
additional restrictions to deal
with the fentanyl crisis, which,
so far, it seems intent on honoring.
America can only hope to
see positive action from the PRC
and vigorous law enforcement
followed by successful prosecutions
in its courts.
TWO OUT OF THREE
One problem this agreement
still faces, even if enforced 100%,
is that only two sides are involved.
The fentanyl supply chain
consists of China (and some
other countries) producing the
narcotic or precursor chemicals;
America, which is the distribution
and usage point; and Mexico,
where the fentanyl is imported
from and where large laboratories
making the narcotics are
located. The supply chain will
never be degraded if Mexico is
omitted from any agreement.
With the enormous cash resources,
chemical and narcotic
stockpiles, and the influence the
cartels have at the highest levels
in Mexico, the stream of narcot-
18 The Blues - February ‘24