Trump classifies fentanyl as 'weapon of mass destruction'

US President Donald Trump has classified illicit fentanyl as a "weapon of mass destruction," intensifying his administration’s campaign against drug cartels and trafficking networks in Latin America.

"We’re formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction," Trump said as he signed an executive order during a White House event.

"No bomb does what this is doing — 200,000 to 300,000 people die every year, that we know of," he added.

According to the executive order, illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemical are now designated as weapons of mass destruction.

The move allows federal authorities to pursue tougher criminal charges and sentencing enhancements in fentanyl trafficking cases.

The order directs the attorney general to immediately seek additional penalties in fentanyl-related prosecutions.

It also instructs the secretary of state and the treasury secretary to take action against assets and financial institutions linked to the manufacture, distribution or sale of illicit fentanyl and its precursor chemicals.

Under the order, the secretary of war and the attorney general are tasked with determining whether additional national security resources should be provided to the Department of Justice during emergency situations involving what the administration defines as a weapon of mass destruction.

The defence and homeland security departments are also instructed to update chemical incident response plans to include the fentanyl threat.

A national security risk

The administration says the designation reflects what it describes as the scale and lethality of fentanyl, which it argues poses a national security risk beyond traditional narcotics trafficking.

The order also directs the Department of Homeland Security to identify fentanyl smuggling networks using threat intelligence tools typically associated with weapons proliferation.

Trump has repeatedly linked fentanyl trafficking to organised crime and armed groups, arguing that profits from the drug fuel violence and instability.

His administration has previously declared a national emergency at the southern border, designated several criminal groups as foreign terrorist organisations, and imposed tariffs linked to the flow of illicit drugs.

The president has also signed legislation permanently classifying fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under US law.