Press Releases

LAKEWOOD — Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) today announced the introduction of legislation that will extend critical sanctions against foreign fentanyl traffickers and strengthen the federal government’s ability to disrupt the financial networks fueling the illicit opioid trade. The bipartisan Fentanyl Sanctions Reauthorization Act of 2026, which is co-led by Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX), reauthorizes the Fentanyl Sanctions Act, which is set to expire in December, and ensures Treasury officials can continue targeting foreign jurisdictions, financial institutions, and illicit transactions tied to fentanyl trafficking.

“Like far too many families, mine has been impacted by the opioid crisis. My mom struggled with a prescription drug addiction that ultimately led to heroin and fentanyl. She overdosed 20 times in one year alone before we were finally able to get her the medical care she desperately needed, but too many people are not as lucky.  Fentanyl is the most potent and lethal drug on the black market, and it has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across our country. We are facing an overdose crisis that demands urgent action to stop the influx of these dangerous drugs from being trafficked to our country,” said Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen. “This bill gives the US the tools we need to disrupt the financial networks behind the illicit opioid trade and hold foreign traffickers accountable so more families don’t have to go through the heartbreak of losing a loved one to an overdose.”

“The fentanyl crisis affects communities across the country. As a border state, Texas has seen the devastation caused by fentanyl and cartels,” said Congressman Roger Williams. “We must reauthorize the Fentanyl Sanctions Act to ensure the United States has the tools it needs to crack down on the deadly drugs and crime entering our country from overseas.”

Synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, were involved in nearly 48,000 American deaths in 2024, leaving families and communities grieving lives cut short. Reauthorizing the Fentanyl Sanctions Act would preserve critical tools to pursue the financial networks behind the drugs reaching Colorado and communities across the country. By restricting illicit payments and targeting institutions that facilitate trafficking, these authorities can make it harder for foreign traffickers to pay suppliers, launder profits, and finance future shipments. Renewing them would sustain financial pressure on the illicit opioid trade as part of the broader effort to prevent overdoses and save lives.

Federal officials have already used these authorities to target the financial infrastructure behind the illicit opioid trade. In June 2025, the United States Treasury invoked the Fentanyl Sanctions Act and the FEND Off Fentanyl Act to prohibit certain fund transfers involving three Mexico-based financial institutions identified as being of primary money laundering concern in connection with opioid trafficking. These actions demonstrate how the authorities can restrict traffickers’ ability to move money through the U.S. financial system. 

Motivated by her own mother’s struggle with a substance use disorder, this bill is just the latest in Congresswoman Pettersen's ongoing work addressing the drug epidemic in the United States. These include measures to prevent the import of illicit drugs, and prevent overdose deaths by ensuring airplanes, law enforcement, and hospitals are able to distribute naloxone when necessary. 

Full text of the bill can be found HERE.

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