Humiliating Agreement for Canada... One-Month Tariff Suspension as a Concession
U.S. Media Fact-Check: "Only 0.2% of Smuggled Fentanyl Comes from Canada"
Canada, which made a humiliating agreement to protect the United States including the establishment of a 'Fentanyl Czar,' was revealed to account for only 0.2% of the total fentanyl smuggled into the U.S.
According to CNN on the 5th, out of the total 21,889 pounds of fentanyl seized by U.S. authorities in the 2024 fiscal year according to federal statistics, only 43 pounds were seized at the Canadian border. This accounts for 0.2%. The vast majority, 96.6%, was seized at the Mexican border.
This level remained similar in the 2025 fiscal year. In the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year (October to December 2024), Canada maintained 0.2%, while Mexico's share increased to 97.2%.
This directly contradicts the Trump administration's claim that Canada is one of the main sources of fentanyl smuggled into the U.S. President Trump has asserted that large amounts of fentanyl, known as the 'zombie drug,' are entering not only through the southern border with Mexico but also through the northern border with Canada, and that the raw materials for fentanyl are supplied from China.
According to a report by The New York Times (NYT), in 2022, the 'Synthetic Opioid Trafficking Response Committee' within the U.S. Congress stated in a report that "Canada is not known as a major source of fentanyl, other synthetic opioids, or precursor chemicals entering the United States." Opioids are narcotic painkillers, with fentanyl being a major ingredient. This bipartisan committee, involving both Democrats and Republicans, was established to analyze illegal opioid trafficking routes and seek related solutions.
U.S. public broadcaster NPR also refuted the claim, stating that Canada plays no role in supplying fentanyl to the U.S. NPR emphasized, "The Canadian government strengthened crackdowns on fentanyl manufacturers on its own before the Trump administration mentioned tariffs," and "has been working to address the overdose crisis, which has become a serious problem domestically."
In fact, the Canadian government deployed additional technological detection equipment and detection dogs last December to strengthen drug trafficking crackdowns. According to the Canadian government, as of 2022, an average of 21 people died daily due to opioid-related drugs.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump, on the 3rd, one day before imposing a 25% tariff on Canada, postponed it for a month after receiving promises from Canada including the establishment of a fentanyl czar. Along with this, Trump introduced Canada’s border reinforcement plan involving $1.3 billion in investment and plans to designate drug cartels as 'terrorists.'
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