Vindman Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Dangerous Fentanyl Traffickers

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representatives Eugene Vindman (D-Va.-07) and James Moylan (R-Guam) introduced the Transnational Fentanyl Prevention Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen the United States' intelligence posture against the transnational criminal organizations responsible for flooding American communities with deadly fentanyl.

"As a former prosecutor, I know we have to take on fentanyl as both a serious public health crisis and a national security threat. The cartels behind this epidemic operate like sophisticated, transnational enterprises and law enforcement need the right tools to disrupt them, dismantle them, and save lives," said Vindman. "This bipartisan bill will finally crack down on these illegal cartels by giving lawmakers the information they need to help law enforcement respond with seriousness, coordination, and urgency."

"Fentanyl is a poison that knows no borders, and for a community like Guam - a critical hub in the Indo-Pacific - the threat of transnational cartels reaching our shores is not a distant concern; it is a daily reality for our families and our first responders," said Moylan. "This measure proactively protects our communities by stopping the flow of these drugs before they ever touch our docks. I thank Congressman Vindman for his leadership and for ensuring that the safety of our territories is part of this national fight."

The bill would require the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to submit a classified intelligence assessment to Congress on the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) - the two most powerful drug trafficking organizations operating in the Western Hemisphere.

The assessment would examine cartel leadership and organizational structure, cross-border trafficking routes, methods for sourcing and importing precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl, key chemical suppliers and brokers, tactics used to market counterfeit pills to U.S. consumers, efforts to undermine U.S. and Mexican counternarcotics operations, and estimated annual revenues disaggregated by drug type.

The Transnational Fentanyl Prevention Act builds on earlier bipartisan efforts to treat cartel-driven fentanyl trafficking as a core national security challenge. The assessment must be submitted to the House and Senate Committees on Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, Intelligence, and Appropriations, and Armed Services.

BACKGROUND

The fentanyl epidemic has touched nearly every American community, claiming tens of thousands of lives each year and devastating families across the country. The Transnational Fentanyl Prevention Act is aimed at strengthening Congress's ability to confront the cartels fueling this crisis and protect communities from further harm.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG control the vast majority of fentanyl trafficked into the United States. Together, the two organizations generate tens of billions of dollars annually and have expanded beyond narcotics trafficking into human smuggling, weapons trafficking, and money laundering.

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