Despite the decrease in seizures with Mexico, Donald Trump’s government determined this week to designate fentanyl as a “mass weapon.”
“As President of the United States, my highest duty is the defense of the country and its citizens. Therefore, I hereby designate illicit fentanyl and its primary chemical precursors as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD),” says the executive order signed on December 15.
“Illicit fentanyl is more like a chemical weapon than a narcotic. Two milligrams, a nearly undetectable trace amount equivalent to 10 to 15 grains of table salt, constitutes a lethal dose. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from fentanyl overdoses,” the executive order adds.
Seizures increase on the border with Canada
On the border with Canada there was an increase in opioid seizures of 78%. While in 2024 there were 19 kilograms seized, by 2025 there were 34.
The fentanyl entering through the northern border of the United States is less. Of the 34,308 kilograms of fentanyl that were seized between 2022 and 2025, only 60 (0.17%) entered through Canada.
Kevin Brosseau, the czar against fentanyl in Canada, stated that although a minimum amount enters that country, the goal is to reach zero.
“If there is 0.01 of a pound or percentage going on, my main goal, although I suppose to some extent aspirational, has been reducing it to zero and eliminating fentanyl as best you can from a supply perspective, but also reduce demand in this country,” the official said.
