Fentanyl-linked deaths fall 22 percent as White House cites border and cartel crackdown

WASHINGTON - Fentanyl-linked deaths fell 22 percent in a single year, according to CDC figures the Trump White House provided to Fox News ahead of National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.

Synthetic opioid deaths, which include fentanyl, dropped from 48,913 in 2024 to 38,084 in 2025, a decline of more than 10,000 deaths. Total drug overdose deaths fell 14 percent in the same period, from 81,313 to 69,973.

White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital that President Trump targeted cartels, secured the border to slow illicit drugs, and directed ICE to arrest illegal alien fentanyl traffickers. She said those policies delivered the 22 percent decline in opioid deaths in one year.

The administration also pointed to a 45 percent decline in nationwide fentanyl seizures in fiscal year 2025 compared with the prior year, describing that as evidence that supply is being disrupted earlier in the chain. DEA testing cited by the White House found 29 percent of seized fentanyl pills contained a potentially lethal dose, down from 76 percent two years earlier.

DHS shared cases of foreign nationals arrested by ICE this year who had prior fentanyl-related convictions, including trafficking, importation, and conspiracy charges in Massachusetts and San Diego. The White House also cited Justice Department prosecutions involving nearly 8,000 defendants in fentanyl cases.

In July 2025 Trump signed the HALT Fentanyl Act, permanently placing fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I. He later designated illicit fentanyl and key precursor chemicals as weapons of mass destruction.

The figures mark a sharp turn from the overdose surge that killed tens of thousands of Americans a year. Officials say the trend is moving in the right direction while warning that deadly supply still reaches U.S. streets.