Was Nicolas Maduro ‘flooding’ the US with fentanyl, as White House claims?

EXPLAINER

Trump administration’s assertion that abducted Venezuelan person is down gangs sending drugs to US bash not stack up.

A White House societal media station misleadingly links deposed Venezuelan person Nicolas Maduro with the US fentanyl crisis.

The X station includes a video highlighting parents who mislaid children to fentanyl overdoses thanking President Donald Trump for capturing Maduro.

“Angel Families convey President Trump for redeeming lives & capturing Maduro – the kingpin flooding America with deadly fentanyl,” the White House’s January 5 X post said. “Justice is being served.”

US troops abducted Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, astatine their Caracas location successful the aboriginal hours of January 3. The 2 pleaded not guilty to cause trafficking charges connected January 5 successful New York national court.

The White House station isn’t the archetypal clip the Trump medication has blamed Maduro for trafficking fentanyl to the US. Trump has cited the potent synthetic opioid that is liable for most US cause overdose deaths to justify pressure on Venezuela successful the months earlier Maduro’s capture.

But neither Venezuela nor Maduro plays a relation successful smuggling fentanyl to the US. The bulk of US fentanyl comes from Mexico and is made with chemicals from China, according to US authorities reports and cause argumentation experts.

The White House did not respond to PolitiFact’s petition for comment.

Vice President JD Vance addressed fentanyl successful a January 4 X post, the time earlier the White House’s post, saying cocaine is “the main cause trafficked retired of Venezuela,” and, “Yes, a batch of fentanyl is coming retired of Mexico. That continues to beryllium a absorption of our argumentation successful Mexico and is simply a crushed wherefore President Trump unopen the borderline connected time one.”

Drug experts previously told PolitiFact that Venezuela acts arsenic a transit state for immoderate cocaine trafficking successful portion due to the fact that its neighbouring country, Colombia, is the world’s main cocaine producer. However, astir of the cocaine that enters the US doesn’t go through Venezuela.

Government reports accidental fentanyl does not travel from Venezuela

The Drug Enforcement Agency’s annual National Drug Threat Assessment reports for years person pointed to Mexico and China arsenic the countries liable for illicit fentanyl successful the US. None of the agency’s reports from 2017 to 2025 database Venezuela arsenic a fentanyl shaper oregon trafficker.

Most illicit fentanyl entered the US via the confederate borderline astatine authoritative ports of entry, and 83.5 percent of the smugglers successful fiscal twelvemonth 2024 were US citizens.

“There is nary grounds of fentanyl oregon cocaine laced with fentanyl coming from Venezuela oregon anyplace other successful South America,” David Smilde, a Tulane University sociologist who studies unit successful Venezuela, told PolitiFact in September.

The United Nations Office connected Drugs and Crime World Drug Report besides points to Mexico arsenic the state of root for the astir fentanyl seized successful the US.

US fentanyl overdose deaths precocious person dropped. From May 2024 to April 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 43,000 synthetic opioid deaths, most of which were from fentanyl, down from astir 70,000 successful the erstwhile year.

“The United States has been suffering an tremendous overdose situation driven by opioids and fentanyl successful peculiar successful caller years,” John Walsh, manager for cause argumentation astatine the Washington Office connected Latin America, a radical advocating for quality rights successful the Americas, antecedently told PolitiFact. “I would accidental it has zero to bash with thing successful South America oregon the Caribbean.”

The Justice Department archetypal indicted Maduro successful 2020 for alleged drug-related actions dating to 1999. A recently unsealed and updated indictment filed successful the Southern District of New York charges Maduro and 2 co-defendants with narcoterrorism conspiracy and him, Flores and the 4 different co-defendants with cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machineguns.

The indictment calls Maduro an illegitimate person who transported cocaine nether Venezuelan instrumentality enforcement protection, enriching his household and cementing power.

The 25-page papers does not notation fentanyl oregon fentanyl trafficking.

Our ruling

The Trump White House described Maduro arsenic “flooding America with deadly fentanyl”.

Drug experts and authoritative authorities and planetary reports constituent to Mexico and China arsenic the countries chiefly progressive successful producing and trafficking the illicit fentanyl that reaches the US. The bulk of fentanyl successful the US comes from Mexico, is made with chemicals from China, and is smuggled by US citizens via authoritative ports of introduction astatine the confederate border.

The US Justice Department indicted Maduro connected charges related to cocaine. The indictment does not notation fentanyl.

We complaint the connection False.