Drugs After El Chapo and Pablo Escobar: the Opioid Crisis

The latest episode of the NUNYO & COMPANY podcast examines the worst overdose crisis in U.S. history. The real Ray Donovan offers a master class on opioids and its deadliest version: fentanyl. The DEA honcho believes that the public remains largely unaware that fentanyl is being mixed in a wide range of drugs. He reveals the biggest trends in drug trafficking: methamphetamine and cocaine. Donovan also pulls back the curtain of the historic operation he oversaw to recapture El Chapo. The DEA special agent agrees with El Chapo’s remark to Rolling Stone in 2015 that “the day I don’t exist, [drug trafficking] is not going to decrease in anyway at all.” But Donovan adds a caveat while assessing Mexican cartels.

Other highlights:
•A $3,000 investment in fentanyl potentially reaps several hundred thousand dollars, “but it also can get you life in prison.”
•The Sinaloa cartel tried to resolve the quandary of its “China White” fentanyl killing its customer base by adding Tramadol.
•Prosecutors concluded that music icon Prince was oblivious to fentanyl’s presence in his counterfeit prescription medication.
•The trafficking of carfentanil — the most powerful opioid — has decreased in America partly because of China’s cooperation in regulating it.
•Despite marijuana’s legalization, America’s demand for Mexico’s supply remains high.
•The DEA’s groundbreaking decision in April to arrest two pharma execs for trafficking occurred because “we didn’t want to treat them any differently because you show up in a suit.”

On a light note, Ray Donovan’s favorite comedian for years was Eddie Murphy, though he’s now into David Chappelle.

The full episode is available on podcast platforms, including:

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