Killer drug: Fentanyl in the US

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 23 March 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is destroying lives all over the United States. Manufactured illegally and at a huge profit by drug cartels in Mexico, it’s smuggled across the border into southern California and Arizona. The director at one entry point on the border acknowledges that they’re looking for needles in a haystack. And she says that they drug organisations have more money than they do. In the second of a two-part series, Assignment crosses into the US from Mexico to run a rule over the devastation this lethal drug has left in its wake in San Diego County. Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly Producer: Tim Mansel (Photo: The wall between the US and Mexico from the Mexican side. The city of San Diego is in the distance. Credit: Tim Mansel).

Transcript

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0:00.0	The attacker had very good knowledge of banking systems.
0:04.1	$2.1 billion in stolen funds.
0:06.4	Money laundering operations.
0:07.7	The cyber-criminal group.
0:08.8	He's a smart guy.
0:09.8	From the BBC World Service, the Lazarus Heist is back for a brand new season.
0:14.1	Catch up with season one of the podcast now by searching for the Lazarus Heist,
0:18.4	wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
0:20.7	And get ready for season two coming next week.
0:25.5	Thanks for choosing to listen to assignment
0:27.5	on the documentary podcast from the BBC World Service.
0:31.3	In this episode, we continue our exploration of a killer drug,
0:35.3	the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
0:38.0	We've been in Mexico where the fentanyl business, its production and trafficking,
0:42.2	is controlled by cartels.
0:44.5	And if you go down to the coast close to the border city of Tejuana,
0:48.2	the barrier or wall separating Mexico from the United States,
0:52.0	extends right out into the Pacific Ocean.
0:55.6	It may be effective at stopping some migrants,
0:58.6	but it hasn't halted the smuggling of fentanyl.
1:01.7	And from the beach, in the haze and the distance,
1:04.7	is the Californian city of San Diego.
	...

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