The White House issued an alert regarding the increase of fentanyl analogues in the U.S. illicit drug supply on the same day Donald Trump submitted a Presidential Determination to Congress identifying Mexico as one of 23 countries involved in the transit or production of illicit drugs.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which operates under the Executive Office of the President, released a technical advisory regarding carfentanil, fluorofentanyl, and methylfentanyl—substances linked to at least 12,500 deaths in the U.S. since 2023.
The ONDCP advisory noted that samples of carfentanil have increased by 206% since 2024, while methylfentanyl samples rose by 297% during the same period. Additionally, the official document states that carfentanil is up to 100 times more potent than conventional fentanyl.
Carfentanil was originally developed as a veterinary sedative for large animals, such as elephants, and was never approved for human use due to its extreme potency. ONDCP Director Sara Carter referred to the substance as an “elephant tranquilizer” in a statement released by the White House Press Office.
