Today, Representatives John James (MI-10) and Brittany Pettersen (CO-7) introduced the Fentanyl Reduction Engrained by Economic Deterrence Act (FREED) Act to expand existing sanctions authorities to associates and facilitators of fentanyl traffickers and their operations. This bipartisan legislation also provides the U.S. Department of Treasury with greater authority to determine whether a financial institution is of “primary money laundering concern” relating to their involvement in illicit fentanyl and narcotics financing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that in 2022, nearly 3,000 people in Michigan lost their lives due to drug poisonings, the majority of which were due to fentanyl. In Macomb County this year, Warren police seized 3,500 pills that included 2 kilos of fentanyl. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, one kilo of fentanyl can kill up to 500,000 people.
Rep. James issued the following statement after introducing the legislation:
“Fentanyl has devastated and uprooted the lives of so many Michiganders and American families. And unfortunately, much of the heartbreak that these families are experiencing related to fentanyl deaths stems from issues on the southern border,” James said. “The FREED Act will strengthen tools that we already use against Russia and Iran to go after fentanyl traffickers in Mexico and throughout the western hemisphere to strengthen our defense against this deadly drug.”
Rep. Pettersen also released the following statement in support of this legislation:
“Fentanyl has taken over global drug supply chains and was responsible for more than 85% of all opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2021. I am all too familiar with the devastating effects of synthetic drugs like these, as my own mother overdosed 20 times in one year because of fentanyl,” said Pettersen. “The opioid crisis has touched countless communities across Colorado and the nation, and I’m proud to partner with Congressman James on this bipartisan bill to crack down on those who traffic these illicit drugs into our communities and the financial institutions involved in fentanyl money laundering.”
FDD Action has issued support for the FREED Act with the following statement:
"FDD Action supports this critical bipartisan legislation. The Fentanyl Reduction Engrained by Economic Deterrence Act broadens sanctions against individuals and companies engaging in or facilitating the fentanyl trade. It also expands potential sanctions on agencies of foreign governments that are determined to be involved in the fentanyl trade, including those in China. This legislation comes at a critical time, as it would provide the United States with expanded tools to enforce the agreement recently reached between the Biden administration and Chinese government to crack down on the flow of fentanyl precursors and related activities to the United States.”
As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. James is committed to stopping the flow of fentanyl coming into the country from the work of drug cartels to precursor chemicals being made available for fentanyl production. Sanctioning these operations is an important step to imposing financial pain on narco-terrorists who are responsible for killing thousands of Americans annually.
