How Does Fentanyl Get Here?
Imagine a car rolling up to a busy port of entry at the U.S.–Mexico border. The driver is calm, almost bored, as they inch closer to the checkpoint. They’re wearing a clean button-down shirt, and their car looks ordinary—a sedan you might see in any neighborhood. In the trunk, hidden inside a compartment beneath the spare tire, are packages of fentanyl—enough to take thousands of lives.
This is how most fentanyl enters the United States. It’s not being carried by migrants trekking through the desert. It’s not coming over some unwatched fence in the middle of nowhere. It’s driven in by people who blend in—Americans crossing at legal ports of entry, carrying one of the deadliest drugs on the planet.
So, How Does Fentanyl Get Here?
It starts thousands of miles away in labs in China or India. These labs aren’t underground hideouts; many operate out in the open, sometimes even legally producing chemical precursors that aren’t controlled substances. From there, the chemicals are shipped to Mexico, where cartels refine them into fentanyl or press them into counterfeit pills that look like Adderall, Xanax, or OxyContin.
The cartels have perfected the process. Their business model relies on efficiency, and fentanyl’s potency makes it the perfect product. Just a few pounds can be worth millions once it’s diluted and distributed. The cartels don’t need to smuggle truckloads—they just need someone to drive across the border with a carefully hidden stash.
The Role of U.S. Citizens
Here’s the part most people don’t realize: the majority of fentanyl traffickers aren’t cartel members or desperate migrants. 86.4% of people arrested for fentanyl trafficking in the U.S. are American citizens. The Department of Homeland Security states that "More than 90% of interdicted fentanyl is stopped at Ports of Entry (POEs) where cartels attempt to smuggle it primarily in vehicles driven by U.S. citizens.
Why? Because American citizens don’t raise as much suspicion at border checkpoints. They’re the ones driving the cars, the trucks, the family SUVs. They’re retirees, students, truck drivers, and everyday people who are paid a few thousand dollars to carry a load. Some know exactly what they’re doing; others don’t ask questions.
And it works. Most of the fentanyl coming into the U.S. enters through these legal border crossings. The drugs are hidden in gas tanks, door panels, tires—anywhere a small package can fit. Advanced scanners and drug-sniffing dogs help customs agents catch a lot of it, but not all. The sheer volume of cars and trucks crossing the border every day—tens of thousands—means traffickers only need to get lucky once.
Why the Myths Persist
You’ve probably heard the stories: fentanyl is being carried across remote deserts, it’s hidden in backpacks, it’s a problem of border control. These narratives are convenient because they’re simple. But they don’t reflect reality.
Most fentanyl doesn’t come from people climbing over a fence in the middle of nowhere. It comes through ports of entry, mixed in with legitimate traffic, hidden in vehicles driven by U.S. citizens. These facts don’t make for flashy headlines, but they matter if we’re going to address the problem effectively.
What Happens After the Border
Once fentanyl crosses the border, it disappears into a massive distribution network. It’s broken down, mixed with other drugs, or pressed into pills. Dealers sell it as heroin, cocaine, or prescription medications. The people buying it often have no idea they’re using fentanyl.
That’s why overdoses happen so quickly and in such high numbers. Fentanyl is unforgiving—just a few grains too much, and it’s lethal. The person who bought a pill on social media to help them sleep, or the teenager experimenting at a party, never stood a chance.
Citations:
Department of Homeland Security. (2023, December 22). Fact sheet: DHS on the front lines combating illicit opioids, including fentanyl. DHS. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/12/22/fact-sheet-dhs-front-lines-combating-illicit-opioids-including-fentanyl
Kaiser Family Foundation. (n.d.). Most sentenced for trafficking fentanyl are U.S. citizens. KFF. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://www.kff.org/quick-take/most-sentenced-for-trafficking-fentanyl-are-u-s-citizens
