US President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating the drug fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, escalating efforts to combat transnational drug trafficking.
On 15 December 2025 GMT+7, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order classifying fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD). The signing took place in the Oval Office at the White House, witnessed by the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and senior security officials. This reflected the administration’s tough stance on the drug crisis that claims many American lives each year.
Trump’s order directs the State and Treasury Departments to intensify efforts to track, seize, and sanction assets of financial institutions and networks involved in fentanyl trafficking. It also calls for closer cooperation between the Defense and Justice Departments in combating transnational drug trafficking.
Additionally, the order instructs the Department of Homeland Security to apply its intelligence capabilities—previously used to counter other forms of weapons of mass destruction—to identify and dismantle fentanyl smuggling networks directly.
Analysts note that classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction could allow the US government to implement stronger security measures, including asset freezes, targeted arrests, and enhanced surveillance of criminal organizations. This follows Trump’s prior designation of certain drug trafficking groups as terrorist organizations, amid ongoing legal and jurisdictional debates.