Alexandria, VA – On April 2, President Trump signed an Executive Order, Further Amendment to Duties Addressing the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People’s Republic of China as Applied to Low-Value Imports, that eliminates duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value imports from China starting today. We thank the President for taking this significant step in countering the illicit flow of fentanyl and synthetic opioids into our country from China through the international mail system.

The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) views closing this trade loophole as a vital part of a national strategy to stop the spread of fentanyl, which is devasting our communities. Fentanyl is now the drug most associated with overdoses in the United States.  This deadly poison is being mixed with other illicit drugs, hidden in counterfeit drugs, and being peddled at alarmingly high rates to our nation’s youth.

As law enforcement officers, our members are on the front lines, and they see firsthand the destructive impact fentanyl has in our communities. Our officers work hard to keep it and other dangerous drugs off the streets and out of our neighborhoods, but they are fighting a losing battle if Chinese drug smugglers can continue to circumvent our trade laws and ship hundreds of thousands of packages of fentanyl directly into our country. Closing the de minimis loophole for commercial packages from China, and eventually from all countries, will help stop the flow of illicit narcotics coming across our borders and will safeguard the lives of our children, families, and friends. We stand with President Trump and his Administration in the fight against the scourge of fentanyl in our communities and strongly support his executive action to eliminate de minimis treatment for China