Attorney General Garland Holds Briefing on Fentanyl

Good afternoon. Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat the United States has ever faced. It’s nearly 50 times more potent than heroin and is a nearly invisible poison. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, the amount that could fit at the tip of a pencil, is a potentially lethal dose. I’m joined today by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, and Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale. We are here today to announce a series of actions we are taking to target the trafficking of fentanyl at every stage and in every part of the world. But more important, we are here today to deliver a message on behalf of the United States government. We know who is responsible for poisoning the American people with fentanyl. We know who is responsible for shattering families and communities across the United States with drug poisonings and overdoses.

(01:25)
We know that behind the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans is a cartel driven fentanyl trafficking network that spans countries and continents. We know that this network includes the cartel’s leaders, their drug traffickers, their money launderers, their clandestine lab operators, their security forces, their weapons suppliers, and their chemical suppliers. And we know that this global fentanyl supply chain, which ends with the deaths of Americans, often starts with chemical companies in China. Our agents and prosecutors are working every day to get fentanyl out of our communities and bring to justice those who put it there. Recently, that work has included charging 23 Sinaloa Cartel members, associates, and leaders for their roles in running the largest, most violent, and most prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world. And it has included the department’s first ever charges against chemical companies based in China, for trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals directly into the United States.

(02:38)
Today, we are announcing several more actions we are taking across the government to disrupt every single aspect of the global fentanyl trafficking network. First, in eight separate indictments, in the Middle and Southern districts of Florida, the Justice Department charged eight companies based in China and 12 of their executives, for crimes related to the production, distribution, and importation of fentanyl, other synthetic opioids, methamphetamines, and their precursor chemicals. As detailed in the indictments unsealed today, the precursor chemicals used to make synthetic opioids like fentanyl, are primarily manufactured and distributed by China-based chemical companies. These companies advertise the sale of precursor chemicals online, using different websites and social media platforms. They then ship the building blocks needed to create deadly drugs all over the world. To evade detection by U.S law enforcement, they use fake return addresses, include fraudulent invoices that mislabel the products, and disguise the chemicals in packaging such as dog food bags.

(03:55)
In just one example, one of the defendants, a pharmaceutical technology company located in China, advertised fentanyl precursor chemicals as well as xylazine for sale online. Drug traffickers may combine xylazine, a horse tranquilizer, also known as trank, with drugs like fentanyl in order to enhance their effects and increase their value. But unlike opioids, the effects of xylazine cannot be reversed by Narcan. And people who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine can develop wounds that result in disfigurement or amputation. As detailed in the indictment, after advertising the precursor chemicals, the pharmaceutical company then shipped them both to the United States and to Mexico, including to a drug trafficker affiliated with a Sinaloa Cartel. In one instance, a company executive specifically asked a customer who was asking about the purchase of fentanyl precursors, quote, “Do they need fent?” Short for fentanyl. The executive went on to recommend a specific fentanyl precursor to the company, saying that, quote, “All Mexico customers buy it.”

(05:13)
The executive told the customer the company would ship the precursor under a different chemical name, to ensure, quote, “Safe custom clearance,” close quote. But in fact, the purported customer was an undercover DEA agent. As alleged in the indictment, that company shipped 300 grams of xylazine, and 43 kilograms of fentanyl precursors to the United States, where undercover DEA agents received them. The precursor chemicals we received from this company in just this one case would’ve been enough to manufacture more than 72 kilograms of fentanyl. That amount could be used to make more than 15 million fentanyl pills, each one potentially fatal. As the Deputy Attorney General will highlight shortly, the cases being unsealed today are part of a whole of government effort to attack every aspect of the trafficking of deadly fentanyl. That effort includes not only Justice Department prosecutors and DEA agents, but also our partners at the Treasury Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S Postal Inspection Service.

(06:29)
In a moment, Secretary Mayorkas will discuss, among other things, additional seizures of fentanyl precursor chemicals made by the Department of Homeland Security, alongside its DEA counterparts. And Deputy Secretary Adeyemo will discuss sanctions the Treasury Department is imposing today on a set of individuals and entities involved in fentanyl trafficking. That includes all of the China-based companies and individuals being charged in the Southern District of Florida today. Tomorrow, Secretary Mayorkas, Secretary Blinken, and I, will be traveling to Mexico City to meet with our government and law enforcement counterparts, to discuss the most emergent urgent threats facing our countries. Disrupting the violent cartels manufacturing and trafficking fentanyl will be at the top of that list. In this vein, just three weeks ago, we extradited from Mexico, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, and a son of the infamous El Chapo. He is one of more than a dozen cartel leaders we have indicted and extradited to the United States. He will not be the last.

(07:49)
The United States government is focused on breaking apart every link in the global fentanyl chain. That includes holding accountable the chemical companies that we know are fueling the fentanyl epidemic. It is critical that the PRC government stops the unchecked flow of precursor chemicals that are coming from China. I want to thank the U.S attorneys for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida and their incredible teams for their work on these cases. I want to thank the DEA and FBI for their tireless efforts in making the actions we announced today possible. And I want to thank our terrific partners from across the government. Finally, I want to express my continued gratitude to some of the most powerful advocates I have ever met, the families who have lost loved ones to a drug poisoning or overdose.

(08:44)
Last week, DEA Administrator Milgram and I spent the morning with people from across the country, who came to Washington for DEA’s Second Annual Family Summit. They came here because each had lost a loved one to a drug poisoning or overdose, and they came here because they wanted to do everything in their power to prevent that from happening to another family. They remind us why we fight and why the battle is so urgent. We will remember the victims of the fentanyl epidemic, we will pursue justice for them, and we will hold accountable those responsible for these tragedies. Thank you. And now, Secretary Mayorkas.

Thank you very much, Attorney General Garland. Early in 2022, undercover agents from Homeland Security Investigations or HSI, infiltrated several Chinese chemical companies that were selling precursor chemicals and schedule one narcotics on the internet. The Chinese companies were making their sales in the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, and Russia. The means of shipment varied. One company, for example, shipped the precursor chemicals and schedule one narcotics via air cargo and UPS. Through their investigation, HSI agents learned that one company had shipped more than 500 kilograms of fentanyl precursors to Tucson, Arizona, and Brownsville, Texas. By monitoring telephone numbers associated with the shipments and other investigative techniques, agents were able to identify the Bitcoin wallets associated with the Chinese companies. U.S Customs and Border Protection or CBP, working with our DEA partners, used advanced targeting data as part of Operation Artemis, a multi-agency surge effort, to interdict more than half a ton of precursor chemicals in warehouses in Los Angeles and

… in Brownsville before the chemicals could be transported to the drug manufacturers in Mexico and Arizona, California, and Texas. The precursor chemicals were found in mislabeled and otherwise disguised containers.

(11:17)
The indictments unsealed today communicate at least several important messages. First and foremost, the incredible work of our federal law enforcement agents and officers. They work tirelessly at great personal risk to save lives and to hold ruthless criminals accountable. Second, the law enforcement work that is required to address the scourge of fentanyl requires an all of government response across multiple agencies, and that is precisely what the Biden-Harris administration is bringing to bear. All of our presidents here today makes that powerfully clear. Third, the scourge of fentanyl is of an international dimension. It certainly is not limited to the United States and Mexico. It spans the globe. Our law enforcement capabilities do as well. Fourth, we are attacking every instrumentality and every aspect of the criminal organizations and individuals who deal in the death and destruction that is fentanyl and other opioids. In addition to indictments against companies in individuals, we are seizing the drugs, money, and properties they use and seek to obtain.

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Fifth, we are unrelenting in our pursuit of the transnational criminal organizations the cartels that are at the root of it all, most notably the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación. And we will reach across the globe to the Chinese companies and their employees who make a part of the cartel’s illegal trafficking operations, and anywhere else where the criminal enterprises reside. Sixth, the scourge of fentanyl is not abating. Basically year over year, it has grown in this country for more than five years with over 47,000 fentanyl overdose deaths in 2017 and more than 82,000 in 2022. Lastly, our work is unabated. In fiscal year 2022, CBP seized more than 14,000 pounds of fentanyl. In fiscal year 2023, CBP seized more than 27,000 pounds. Thanks again to the incredibly heroic work of the law enforcement agents and officers, including the prosecutors on the front line. We, all of us here, all whom we represent, will not pause our work until we have held all perpetrators accountable. It is my privilege to introduce the Deputy Attorney General of the United States, Lisa Monaco.

Good afternoon. Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary.

(14:20)
Last April, we announced charges and sanctions against every element of the Sinaloa Cartel’s deadly fentanyl trafficking network, a network led by the notorious Chapitos brothers.

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At that time, we pledged to attack the global networks that fuel the Fentanyl crisis from every angle at every stage of the supply chain using every tool available. Today, we’re making good on that pledge with indictments of eight Chinese companies and 12 Chinese nationals for trying to ship into the United States gallon after gallon after gallon of chemicals used to make fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other deadly drugs.

(15:10)
No community is off limits for the fentanyl traffickers who profit at the expense of American lives. And no technique is too brazen if it means access to the American market. As alleged in today’s indictments, the defendants used a range of trafficking tactics to ply their deadly trade and cover their tracks, from blatant online advertising and encrypted messaging apps, to fake shipping schemes and Bitcoin payments.

(15:44)
As we’ve learned from prior campaigns against terrorists and cyber criminals, we must be relentless. We must be agile and innovative, and we must use every tool of national power to disrupt the global production and trafficking of fentanyl. That means combining traditional tools and novel approaches. And that means capitalizing on the partnerships we’ve built at home and abroad.

(16:16)
To bring today’s cases, our agents and prosecutors combined old school techniques, like officers going undercover, with cutting edge tools like cryptocurrency tracing. Today’s cases reflect the hard work and tenacity of dozens of agents, analysts, and prosecutors at the Department of Justice. But it also reflects tremendous teamwork from across the federal government. For example, undercover DEA agents posed as drug traffickers to identify those shipping precursor poisons to our shores. Partners at DHS surged resources to stop the lethal shipments and trace their origins. Postal inspectors exposed a scheme to exploit the males to deliver the deadly ingredients. FBI and IRS agents followed the blockchain to track crypto payments. Partners at Treasury assembled the evidence for today’s raft of sanctions. And justice department prosecutors from the middle and southern districts of Florida coordinated with investigative partners to bring the criminal charges announced today.

(17:26)
This was a whole of government effort. And when we worked together, sharing information, combining resources and relentlessly pursuing justice, we can have a tremendous impact on those who would do us harm. But even with this cross agency team, we can’t win this battle without additional partners. Today we’re grateful for the efforts of Mexican prosecutors and officers who worked hand in hand with US partners to track shipments of precursor chemicals. But we must do more. We need every country across the globe to join with us in the fight against fentanyl. And we need the private sector’s help as well. As in our fight against cyber criminals and terrorists, we need social media companies and marketplaces to police their platforms to avert catastrophic harm. Our nation’s common carriers and freight forwarders must step up their game to prevent traffickers from using their services to ship poison into our communities. It must be all hands on deck.

(18:36)
Today, we renew the Justice Department’s pledge, a pledge to every American community and to the families of hundreds of thousands of Americans who have lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning. We will bring every tool of national power to the fight against fentanyl. We will foster public-private collaboration. We will find common cause with and demand action from foreign governments. And we will not rest until we’ve rid our communities of this poison. The women and men involved in these cases represent the very best of government service, and I’m proud to stand with them.

(19:17)
I’ll now turn the podium over to Deputy Secretary Adeyemo to talk about Treasury’s actions today.

Good afternoon. It’s great to be back here at the Department of Justice representing Secretary Yellen and the talented men and women of the Treasury Department as we announce another important set of actions in the fight against the globalist drug trade.

(19:44)
Today, Treasury is imposing major new sanctions against 28 individuals and entities involved in illicit drug trade. Effectively immediately, these individuals and entities located in the People’s Republic of China and in Canada are cut off from using the US financial system, and all US persons are barred from transacting with them.

(20:07)
Additionally, we’ve identified and blocked over a dozen virtual currency wallets associated with these actors. The block wallets, which received millions of USD funds, illustrate the scope and scale of the operations targeted today. This action was a result of the incredible hard work of teams at the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, working hand in hand with their colleagues across the government, across the Department of Justice and Homeland Security. It’s the latest step in the rapid scaling up of our work targeting the financial flows that power the global illicit drug trade.

(20:50)
The reason I’m here today is to send a crystal clear signal to those whose line of work involves trafficking a product that robs Americans of their lives and that robs children of their parents and parents of their children all over our country. And if you are engaged in this illegal business, know that the talented men and women of the Department of Treasury are laser-focused on finding and freezing your money.

(21:20)
In addition to the actions we’re taking today, I have ordered my colleagues of the Treasury Department to expand our targeting approach to include the friends, family members, and affiliates of criminals that benefit from the sale of these drugs. If you benefit from the proceeds of these illicit activities, we’re going to come after your assets. What we have found is that a network-focused approach is essential to going after these criminals. At Treasury, our tools are uniquely suited to combat this system. From our counter-narcotics sanctions to financial elicit collection networks and information sharing, we use these tools alongside

… guide law enforcement to accomplish three main things. First, we identify the key individuals, entities, and networks involved in drug trafficking to support ongoing investigation and prosecution and expose them to the wider private sector. Second, we freeze and disrupt the operating capital criminals need to manufacture and transport these illicit substances.

(22:25)
Third, we stop or recover the proceeds from drug sales, either through the US financial system or through those partner countries that are willing to work with us. By exerting pressure on various elements of transnational criminal organizations like chemical suppliers, cooks, or chemist, and transportation coordination, we maximize the impact and disruption.

(22:48)
The targets we designated today are a great example of this global approach, and they are the latest in our many recent rounds of sanctions that have also targeted counterfeit pill makers, cash couriers, and cartel fraud schemes. In fact, the Biden-Harris administration has imposed over 200 sanctions related to illicit drug trade at all steps in the supply chain, and we will continue to work with our international partners, the private sector, and across the US government to bring all our tools to bear against this deadly ecosystem.

(23:22)
We are focused now on making sure that the one thing that these people want, their money, is hard for them to come by and blocking their assets wherever possible. We have no better partner in this work than the DEA and the talented men and women there who have been our partners in this.

(23:37)
I have the privilege of turning it over to the DEA Administrator Milgram at this point, whose team has done an extremely good job in terms of coordinating many of the actions that we’ve done. So with that, I’ll turn it over to her.

[inaudible 00:23:51]. Good afternoon. Fentanyl is the greatest threat to Americans today. It is devastating families across our country and killing Americans from all walks of life. It is the leading cause of death for Americans today between the ages of 18 and 45. The Drug Enforcement Administration is actively targeting every single aspect of the global fentanyl supply chain, so that we can put an end to the most devastating drug crisis our country has ever seen.

(24:26)
The two drug cartels that are responsible for fentanyl coming into the United States are the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels. They work with chemical companies based in the People’s Republic of China to get their raw materials, which are chemicals called fentanyl precursors. Nearly all fentanyl precursors come from China. These precursors are then made into fentanyl.

(24:51)
But it doesn’t stop there. Companies in China also manufacture other synthetic or manmade drugs that make the fentanyl threat even more addictive and even more deadly. These drugs include xylazine and nitazenes, which are then mixed with fentanyl to extend the high and increase the cartels’ profits.

(25:14)
DEA has taken the lead in these cases, investigating and holding accountable the companies and individuals in China and elsewhere who are responsible for these poisons. Today we announce eight indictments, charging eight companies and 12 individuals for importing into the United States fentanyl precursors, xylazine, and other manmade or synthetic chemicals. We have seized more than 80 kilograms of synthetic chemicals in these investigations, enough when mixed with other chemicals to make more than 48 million deadly doses of fentanyl.

(25:51)
As I said before, precursor chemicals are turned into deadly fentanyl, and xylazine and nitazenes are then added to make that fentanyl even deadlier, killing Americans both young and old. Let’s talk about xylazine.

(26:08)
Xylazine is known on the street as tranq and is a veterinary drug used to sedate animals like horses and cattle. It has no legitimate use in humans. But drug traffickers mix xylazine with fentanyl because it extends the high and serves as filler.

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When it ends up in humans, it can cause human tissue to rot and lead to amputations. It also does not respond to Narcan, a drug used to prevent fentanyl poisoning and overdose. In other words, xylazine makes the deadliest drug threat, fentanyl, even deadlier.

(26:44)
DEA has seized xylazine-fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 states and in Washington, D.C. We know where the xylazine comes from. It comes as powder from China and as liquid diverted from veterinary supply chains. In one of the cases being announced today, DEA agents seized more than 300 grams of xylazine shipped from a company in China to Miami and paid for in Bitcoin. That same company shipped xylazine to a fentanyl trafficker in Philadelphia multiple times a month. When agents conducted a search of the trafficker’s home, they found 1500 counterfeit pills, two pill presses, a powder mixture of fentanyl and xylazine, and two bottles of liquid xylazine.

(27:32)
Despite all of this, xylazine is not yet a controlled substance. This is why it is so important for it to be scheduled.

(27:40)
We also found nitazenes in these cases. Nitazenes are dangerous synthetic opioids that can be as powerful or even more powerful than fentanyl. They have no legitimate use.

(27:53)
In April of 2022, based on the work of DEA chemists and agents, I signed an emergency scheduling order placing seven nitazenes into Schedule I. In one of the cases announced today, companies and individuals in China are charged with shipping two of those nitazenes to Georgia and to South Florida.

(28:15)
In these cases, we also found fentanyl analogs like fluorofentanyl. These analogs are a treacherous attempt to work around the law. Every time we make one substance illegal, the drug cartels and their chemical suppliers switch to another that is slightly different at the molecular level, but has the same impact.

(28:36)
DEA is doing its part to schedule each fentanyl analog it finds one at a time, but we need permanent class-wide scheduling of fentanyl-related substances, and we stand ready to work with Congress to get this done.

(28:53)
Despite all the different synthetic chemicals we have found in these cases, a few things remained constant: the chemicals were cheap. A deadly dose costs mere cents. At prices like these, the amount of deadly drugs that can be made is limitless.

(29:10)
The chemicals were sold online, on public websites and through encrypted applications like WhatsApp, WeChat, and Wickr. The chemicals were shipped through common carriers by air and by ground through the Postal Service, UPS, and FedEx. The chemicals were carefully packaged to deceive customs inspectors, and the chemicals were paid for in every way, Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal, Alibaba, bank transfers, and most commonly Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to make it harder for us to follow the money.

(29:46)
This is the unprecedented threat that we are dealing with, and it is the reason why 110,757 Americans died from drug poisonings in 2022 alone. Today’s indictments target the threat where it starts.

(30:04)
I want to thank this incredible team that is here and has assembled. All of us working together have had an incredible impact in this investigation and I hope in much work to come. I want to pay a particular tribute to DEA’s Miami Field Division, our Counternarcotic Cyber Investigations Task Force, and our DEA Tampa District Office Chemical Express Group.

(30:27)
I also am deeply indebted to our prosecution partners in the southern and middle districts of Florida, specifically US Attorneys Markenzy Lapointe and Roger Handberg, as well as the line prosecutors who all work tirelessly with our agents and intel analysts on these investigations.

(30:44)
Today’s charges continue DEA’s work to target the global fentanyl supply chain. We will not rest or relent until this crisis ends. There is more to come. Thank you. It’s now my privilege to introduce my friend and partner, the Lead Postal Inspector, Gary Barksdale.

Thank you, Anne. Good afternoon. It’s certainly my pleasure to stay in here with such an elite group of colleagues, all with the common goal of tackling this threat. As you can see, when we work together, we can achieve tremendous results.

(31:19)
This case highlights the core of the Postal Inspection Service Commission, protecting postal service employees, postal customs, which is the American public, and the US Mail from dangerous narcotics trafficked through the mail stream.

(31:33)
Operational fent incorporated builds on the success of previous operations that were conducted with our local, state, federal, and international law enforcement partners. This investigation focused on three Chinese companies making and sending fentanyl precursors and [inaudible 00:31:51] nitazene directly into the United States. It’s well known how dangerous fentanyl is, and you heard Administrator Milgram talk about how deadly nitazene can be as well. It’s even more powerful.

(32:03)
These distributors targeted by operational fentanyl incorporated sold and shipped narcotics around the world by exploiting the US Mail and other private carriers. When they utilize the mail for these transactions, they create real hazards for postal employees and threaten the integrity of the postal network that hundreds of millions of people in the US and across the globe depend on every single day.

(32:28)
During the investigation, postal inspectors discovered the companies involved with palletized, smaller pre-packaged parcels to send to United States via large freight containers. After the freight containers reached the US, the pallets were distributed to a domestic freight forwarder who would then breakdown the pallets and distribute the individual smaller parcels within the US using the US Mail and private carriers. By shipping the parcels in this manner, it made the

… the parcels appear to originate within the US. Further, these Chinese chemical companies match the true origin of the parcels by providing domestic US return addresses on all the parcels.

(33:14)
This operation had other element that warranted criminal charges as well. Postal inspectors determined that one of the companies and its owner/operator were shipping the drug parcels, utilizing counterfeit postage. From January of 2021 to September of 2023, the Postal Service lost approximately $62 million in lost revenue from three companies that compromised postal accounts involved in this investigation.

(33:41)
In addition to the drug charges, the owner and his company were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States by making, printing, and using forged, counterfeited posted meter stamps.

(33:53)
This operation is a prime example of what we can accomplish together working with our partners and OCDETF. On behalf of the US Postal Service, I’d like to thank the Southern District of Florida US Attorney Lapointe, who’s here, US Assistant Attorney Monique Montero, who’s the chief of the Southern District of Florida International Money Laundering and Narcotics Section, and Assistant US Attorney John Yeager, who’s the deputy chief of the Southern District of Florida Economics Crimes Section, for their efforts in bringing these drug traffickers to justice.

(34:23)
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t thank the men and women of the Postal Inspection Service for your diligence in carrying out our mission to protect the Postal Service and the American public. Certainly, I want to thank our federal partners who are here with us today, DEA, HSI, FBI, and certainly CBP are one of our closest partners.

(34:42)
The Postal Inspection Service strives each and every day to stop those who would use the mail to send illegal goods. With the combined efforts of our law enforcement partners, we expect continued success in targeting and taking down these drug trafficking organizations. Thank you.

Questions. Alex?

Mr. Attorney General, the last time you announced this kind of indictment I believe was back in April, China responded basically saying it was illegal, bullyism, and it could harm future partnership in counternarcotics. I wonder, have you seen, or has any of your partners on stage seen, any change of behavior from China since that last wave of indictments, or is this kind of like a whack-a-mole name and shame indictment system where you’re calling out what’s going on?

I’ll start with the last part. In the last indictments you talked about, we did get some arrests. In this case, none of the defendants have been arrested, but the Treasury Department has sanctioned all of them. That often leads to further associated arrests. As you well know, the Justice Department has a very long memory, and it’s our intention to bring every one of these defendants to justice in the United States.

Then off-topic, if I can. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in court today. You’ve been asked a lot of questions about this on 60 Minutes and before Congress. I know you can’t say a lot about the case, but when you came to the department, you stressed a return to the norms. I wonder what you say to the many Americans out there who have seen how this case, the investigation has developed. It was a special counsel who previously didn’t want to be a special counsel, a plea deal falling apart in court. What do you say to those people who say this has been anything but normal?

Well, I’ll start with what you first said, which is we don’t comment about pending cases. This is a case investigated and brought by a career prosecutor, David Weiss, who was appointed as US attorney by the previous president. Mr. Weiss has authority to pursue this case. He’s the supervisor of this case. At the end of the case, because he’s now a special counsel, he will have to provide a report which will explain his prosecutorial and investigative decisions. At that point, the American people will see the reasons for the steps that have been taken.

Ken?

Mr. Attorney General, could you tell us what is your main ask of Mexican government officials when you travel there? What are you asking them to do on fentanyl trafficking and what will you say to them if they ask you about calls by Republican presidential candidates and members of Congress to use the US military to target drug traffickers inside Mexico?

I’m not going to hypothesize about whether they will ask something about the latter. On the first question, we are going to Mexico because fentanyl is an incredibly dangerous threat to the American people. We will be meeting with our law enforcement and our military counterparts to work on further steps that we can take to attack this threat.

(37:47)
I will note, as I noted in my remarks, that Mexico very recently extradited to the United States Ovidio Guzmán López, one of the Chapitos, the son of El Chapo. Then in doing so, that is in making the arrests, it lost a significant number of Mexican lives. I don’t know if Allie wants to [inaudible 00:38:07]. Okay.

Sadie?

So a couple questions. The US has been trying to set up a channel to discuss the fentanyl issue with China and potential law enforcement cooperation, and there’s been some limited success. So I’m just wondering what, if any, coordination there was with the China side in this case.

(38:28)
Then separate and apart from that, more specifically with regard to the Hunter Biden case, since the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, some lower courts have ruled that drug users like Hunter Biden don’t automatically lose their Second Amendment rights because of past drug use. Today, Hunter Biden’s lawyer called that case unconstitutional for that reason.

(38:45)
As a former federal judge, I’m wondering if you can tell us why this Justice Department case against Hunter Biden is … Are you bringing a case that’s ultimately going to be overturned on appeal?

As a former federal judge and as the Attorney General of the United States, I know the rule against commenting on proceedings in court, so I won’t be able to answer that question. On the other question, I’ll have to defer to any of my colleagues. I don’t believe there was any PRC assistance in this case.

Eric? This is the last question, by the way.

This administration has spoken a lot when you make the case for reauthorization of Section 702 about its use in fentanyl disruption. To what extent was 702-derived evidence useful in building these indictments?

I can’t comment on this specific case for, I think, obvious reasons, but I’ll say, in general, 702 has been essential to getting the intelligence we need to protect the national security of the United States, and it has proven essential with respect to fentanyl, that is with respect to our ability to map how fentanyl travels from the precursors in China to Mexican labs, and then across the border. So tracking fentanyl is an important advantage we have because of the tool of 702.

Thank you, everyone.

702, for those who don’t know, is a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Thank you, everyone.

[inaudible 00:40:13]-

Overnight, a member of Congress is carjacked right here-

Thank you, everyone. The last question. Thank you.