The containment of fentanyl from Mexico, through record seizures and binational coordination on security and public health, has contributed to a 44.4 percent decrease in overdose deaths in the United States since the peak number of fatalities was recorded in July 2023.
This downward trend is consistent with the reduction in fentanyl trafficking across Mexico’s northern border. Preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that, at its peak, overdose mortality reached 78,729 cumulative deaths over a 12-month period.
By April 2024, the number of deaths had reached 67,616, and the most recent report, as of April 2025, shows that fatal overdose cases had decreased to 43,809, representing an annual reduction of more than 25,000 deaths and confirming a change in trend after years of sustained growth.
Despite the drop in deaths, in December, US President Donald Trump labeled fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction and called on the Mexican government to make a greater effort to curb the entry of this drug. However, in just over a year of Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, border crossings have decreased by 42.5 percent, according to data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Records show that between October 2024 and November 2025, 6.3 tons of fentanyl were seized at the southern border, a significantly lower figure than the 11 tons seized between August 2023 and September 2024.
Alongside seizures and the fight against drug trafficking, the U.S. government has strengthened public health strategies that have contributed to reducing the lethality of overdoses, with measures that have had broad public acceptance and a direct impact on high-risk communities.
The CDC notes that fatal fentanyl overdoses have decreased thanks to actions such as the use of the drug Narcan, which quickly reverses the effects and, since 2024, has been available without a prescription at private pharmacies.
