EXCLUSIVE: Fentanyl deaths plunge 22% as Trump White House touts crackdown on deadly drug crisis

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Trump touts securing southern border as fentanyl deaths plummet

President Donald Trump highlights a massive drop in fentanyl deaths and illegal drugs entering the country by sea in an exclusive interview with Trace Gallagher.Trump claims border security measures have reduced maritime drug smuggling by 97 percent, saving thousands of lives.The president questions why mainstream media outlets are not covering this positive development at the southern border.

EXCLUSIVE:Fentanyl-linked deaths plunged 22% in a single year as the TrumpWhite Housecredits its border crackdown, campaign against drug cartels and arrests of convicted fentanyl traffickers for helping drive down the deadly toll.

Synthetic opioid deaths, which include fentanyl, fell from 48,913 in 2024 to 38,084 in 2025,according to CDC figurescited by the White House — a decline of more than 10,000 deaths.Total drug overdose deathsfell 14%during the same period, from 81,313 to 69,973.

ThePRESIDENT TRUMP’S DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY SETS THE PATH TO END THE DRUG CRISIS FOR GOOD

Inset of 10 fentanyl-related arrestees booking photos atop a file photo of fentanyl pills

Ten foreign nationals arrested by ICE this year had previous fentanyl-related convictions, according to DHS.(Department of Homeland Security / Getty Images)

“President [Donald] Trump targeted cartels who were profiting off the death of Americans, secured our border to stop Fentanyl and other illicit drugs from flowing into our communities and jump-started ICE to arrest illegal alien fentanyl traffickers,�

“These policies delivered a 22% decline in opioid deaths in a single year.Thanks to President Trump, America is finally winning the fight against fentanyl,” she added.

MASSIVE MEXICO-CALIFORNIA BORDER BUSTS UNCOVER EYE-POPPING AMOUNT OF DRUGS: ‘REMAIN VIGILANT’

Trump talks to families of fentanyl victims during a bill signing ceremony

President Donald Trump speaks during a bill signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., July 16.Trump signed legislation that strengthens criminal penalties for fentanyl, hailing it as a historic step toward justice in his latest effort to address the public health crisis spurred by the deadly drug.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The White House alsopointed to a 45% declinein nationwide fentanyl seizures in fiscal year 2025 compared with the previous year.The administration characterized the drop as evidence that disruption further up the supply chain is reducing the amount of the drug reaching the U.S.border.

DEAtesting cited by the administration also found 29% of seized fentanyl pills contained a potentially lethal dose, down from 76% two years earlier.The White House attributed the declining potency to pressure ontrafficking networks.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS FEDERAL AUTHORITIES HAVE ARRESTED MORE THAN 10,000 SUSPECTED GANG MEMBERS

Inset of three foreign nationals allegedly involved with fentanyl-related crimes atop a file photo of fentanyl pills

ICE arrested three foreign nationals who DHS says had prior fentanyl-related convictions, including cases involving fentanyl trafficking, importation and conspiracy to distribute the deadly synthetic opioid.(Department of Homeland Security / Getty Images)

The administration also shared the cases of 11 foreign nationalsarrested by ICEthis year who the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says had previous fentanyl-related convictions.

The administration highlighted the February ICE arrest ofJulio Cesar Pimentel-German, a Dominican Republic national whom DHS says had previously been convicted inMassachusettsof possession with intent to distribute fentanyl,trafficking fentanyland a firearms offense.

ICE also arrestedAder Aldair Ramirez-Quiroz, a Honduran national DHS says was convicted of importing fentanyl in San Diego, andYancarlos Marte-Morel, a Dominican Republic national convicted infederal courtin Massachusetts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to DHS.

The arrests are part of what the administration says is a broader effort to remove convicted fentanyl traffickers from American communities while federal agencies target the drug trade at multiple levels.

5 MEXICAN CARTEL BOSSES CHARGED IN WEAPONS, DRUG TRAFFICKING, TIMESHARE FRAUD SCHEMES, DOJ SAYS

Terrance Cole, administrator of the U.S.Drug Enforcement Administration, holds a folder reading “Fentanyl free America” during a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., July 20.(AFP via Getty Images)

Trump has alsopursued the cartelsthrough terrorist designations,financial sanctionsand other federal enforcement tools.

The president signed theHALT Fentanyl Actinto law in July 2025, permanently placing fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I and giving federal prosecutors a permanent framework for targeting fentanyl analogs.Trump later designated illicit fentanyl and key precursor chemicals as weapons of mass destruction.

FEDS SEIZE MOUNTAIN OF FENTANYL FROM ‘OPEN-AIR DRUG MARKET’ IN MASSIVE CRACKDOWN TARGETING GANG CREWS

President Trumps holds Mexican border defense Medal presentation

President Donald Trump classifies fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction” during a Mexican Border Defense medal presentation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., Dec.15, 2025.(Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images, File)

The White House also pointed to Justice Department prosecutions involving nearly 8,000 defendants in fentanyl cases as evidence of the scope of the federal crackdown.

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The decline comes after fentanyl helped fuel an overdose epidemic that killed tens of thousands of Americans annually and devastated communities across the country.