Dr. Rahul Gupta Statement on New Executive Orders to Counter Transnational Criminal Organizations and Illicit Drug Trafficking

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), released a statement on two Executive Orders signed by President Joe Biden to counter transnational criminal organizations and illicit drug trafficking. This will be done first, by formally establishing the U.S. Council on Transnational Organized Crime, bringing together six key departments and agencies involved in efforts to counter transnational organized crime and ensure the U.S. Government deploys a comprehensive approach that effectively leverages all available tools to counter the threats posed by transnational criminal organizations; and second, by modernizing and expanding the U.S. Government’s ability to target drug trafficking organizations, their enablers, and financial facilitators through sanctions and other related actions.

“President Biden has made clear that addressing addiction and the overdose epidemic is an urgent priority,” said Dr. Rahul Gupta, who met with officials in Mexico last month about efforts to counter drug trafficking. “Today’s Executive Orders will enhance U.S. efforts to degrade the capabilities of drug trafficking organizations and disrupt the supply of illicit drugs entering our country. These actions are an important part of the Administration’s overall approach, which complements our historic investment in public health interventions with concrete and decisive actions to disrupt the flow of illicit drugs across our borders and into our communities.”

The Executive Orders announced today come at a time when overdose deaths in the United States have reached a record high. However, the production and trafficking of synthetic opioids and their precursor chemicals are a global problem. These Executive Orders provide additional tools and capabilities that allow the United States to more effectively address this threat to the American people, and exercise global leadership on this important issue.

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