Strengthening Sanctions on Fentanyl Traffickers Act of 2025

Key Points

• The bill targets the fentanyl supply chain by authorizing sanctions against foreign persons and entities in China that produce or ship fentanyl precursors, as well as Mexican cartels that traffic the finished drug into the U.S.
• The government could freeze U.S.-based assets and block all financial transactions involving sanctioned foreign persons. It also allows officials to deny visas and bar sanctioned individuals from entering the country.
• The bill specifically names eight major Mexican cartels, including the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels, and locks in existing sanctions against them. The president can only lift those sanctions after certifying to Congress that the group has stopped its illegal activity.
• Chinese online marketplaces, ports, and ships that knowingly help move fentanyl or its precursors would also face sanctions, including those that mislabel chemicals during customs.
• The bill requires the president to prioritize identifying Chinese persons and entities involved in fentanyl trafficking, and this priority must continue until China is no longer the primary source of fentanyl precursors shipped to drug-producing countries.