Trump White House Reports 22% Drop in Fentanyl Deaths as Seizures Fall 45%

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 21

38,084 synthetic-opioid deaths were recorded in 2025, down from 48,913 in 2024, while total overdose deaths fell 14% to 69,973, according to CDC figures cited by the White House.
The administration credited the decline to its border crackdown, cartel targeting and arrests of convicted fentanyl traffickers, saying maritime drug smuggling dropped 97%.
Fiscal 2025 fentanyl seizures fell 45%, which the White House said shows less of the drug is reaching the border after supply-chain disruption farther upstream.
DEA testing cited by the administration found 29% of seized fentanyl pills carried a potentially lethal dose, down from 76% two years earlier.
The White House tied the results to a broader enforcement push that included the 2025 HALT Fentanyl Act, WMD designations for fentanyl and precursor chemicals, and nearly 8,000 Justice Department defendants in fentanyl cases.