FBI Director Patel says China has agreed to work with US to tighten control on fentanyl precursors

FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday announced that China has agreed to tighten control over chemicals used to produce fentanyl, including by banning several of the precursors to the lethal drug.

Patel quietly visited China last week to meet with his Chinese counterparts about cracking down on the chemicals that are used to create the drug. The United States listed China as a major illicit drug producer in 2023 and President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Beijing earlier this year for not doing more to stem the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.

The director touted the visit as a success during a press briefing at the White House, which also occurred after Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping recently.

"Essentially, President Trump has shut off the pipeline that creates fentanyl that kills tens of thousands of Americans," Patel said. "These substances are now banned, and they will no longer be utilized by the Mexican drug trafficking organizations."

"That was the sole purpose of my trip to China to eliminate these precursors," he continued. "And if successful, we would suffocate the drug trafficking organizations ability to manufacture fentanyl in places like Mexico."

Drug cartels have been accused of trafficking the illicit drug into the United States, but China is allegedly partly responsible for providing some of the material used in creating fentanyl. 

Patel said the FBI has seized 1,900 kilograms of fentanyl this year, marking a 31% increase from last November, which is enough to kill 127 million Americans. Nearly 100,000 Americans died from a fentanyl overdose last year. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.