By Steve Neavling
The DEA is set to shutter two of its critical offices in China, a move revealed by The Associated Press as the agency grapples with the ongoing challenge of disrupting the flow of precursor chemicals from China fueling the fentanyl epidemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, in an internal email last week, explained that the closures are part of a broader strategy to reallocate the agency’s limited resources to areas where they can have the most significant impact on saving lives. Alongside the China closures, Milgram announced the planned shutdown of a dozen other DEA offices worldwide, reducing the agency’s global footprint from 93 offices in 69 countries.
While rumors of the closures had circulated for months, the specific reasons for shutting down the Shanghai and Guangzhou offices — leaving only those in Beijing and Hong Kong — remain unclear. The DEA has stated that the decision was made based on a data-driven approach aimed at maximizing the agency’s effectiveness.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, expressed concern over the move, stating that “Americans have a right to know why this decision was made and where DEA intends to reallocate taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars.”
DEA veterans see the closures as another setback in the often-fractured cooperation between the U.S. and China, particularly in the fight against fentanyl. Despite China’s efforts to control fentanyl-related chemicals, the country remains the largest source of precursors for the deadly drug that has led to nearly 100,000 U.S. deaths annually.
Mike Vigil, a former head of DEA’s foreign operations, emphasized the importance of maintaining strong relationships with Chinese authorities to curb the flow of precursor chemicals.
“It’s hard to develop those relationships with less representation in the country,” he said.
The DEA had long sought to expand its presence in China, finally opening the Shanghai and Guangzhou offices in 2017 after years of negotiations. These offices were expected to play a crucial role in combating drug trafficking in two of China’s major economic centers. However, a U.S. official, speaking anonymously, suggested that the cooperation from China was often more symbolic than substantive, with agents facing significant obstacles, including visa restrictions and limited operational freedom, especially as U.S.-China relations deteriorated.
In 2022, China suspended anti-narcotics cooperation in response to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, though relations seemed to improve following President Joe Biden’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco last year.
Milgram’s recent visit to China, accompanied by the State Department’s top anti-narcotics official, highlighted the ongoing importance of collaboration in disrupting the flow of precursors. Yet, Milgram cautioned that it remains uncertain whether the recent efforts will yield the desired results, telling a congressional panel earlier this year, “If we could stop the flow of precursors from China, we could have a significant impact.”
