119-s3080

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3080 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 3080

To amend the Fentanyl Sanctions Act to address nitazene trafficking and 
 to impose sanctions with respect to entities of the People's Republic 
 of China and foreign governments engaged in or contributing to opioid 
 trafficking, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 October 30, 2025

 Mr. Ricketts (for himself, Mr. Schmitt, and Mr. McCormick) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
 on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To amend the Fentanyl Sanctions Act to address nitazene trafficking and 
 to impose sanctions with respect to entities of the People's Republic 
 of China and foreign governments engaged in or contributing to opioid 
 trafficking, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Nitazene Sanctions Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress makes the following findings:

    (1) 2-Benzylbenzimidazole opioids (also known as nitazenes) 
 are a class of synthetic opioids first synthesized in the 1950s 
 that exhibit significant potency at the mu-opioid receptor, 
 with some substances exceeding the potency of fentanyl.

    (2) Unlike opium, 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioids and other 
 synthetic opioids can be produced anywhere in the world using 
 precursor chemicals that are often uncontrolled and widely 
 available.

    (3) Chemical manufacturing companies in the People's 
 Republic of China can synthesize 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioid 
 precursors at a scale using a comparatively easy 3- or 4-step 
 process.

    (4) The Drug Enforcement Administration has warned that 
 Mexican cartels could use their existing relations with 
 suppliers based in the People's Republic of China to obtain 2-
 benzylbenzimidazole opioids and funnel them into the United 
 States.

SEC. 3. STRATEGY TO COMBAT PRODUCTION AND FLOW OF NITAZENE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the Attorney General 
shall jointly submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
that includes--

    (1) a description of the role of the People's Republic of 
 China, and of financial institutions in the People's Republic 
 of China, in the production of 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioid 
 precursors;

    (2) a plan for steps to be taken by the United States 
 Government to work with the People's Republic of China to 
 reduce the production of such precursors in the People's 
 Republic of China; and

    (3) a strategy to work with allies in Europe to combat the 
 flow of 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioids from the People's 
 Republic of China.

    (b) Form.--The report required by subsection

    (a) shall be submitted 
in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
            (c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--

    (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
 the Judiciary of the Senate; and

    (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
 the Judiciary of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 4. INCLUSION OF NITAZENE IN FENTANYL SANCTIONS ACT.

 

Section 7203

    (8)
        (A) of the Fentanyl Sanctions Act (21 U.S.C. 
2302

    (8)
        (A) ) is amended--

    (1) in clause
            (i) , by striking ``controlled substances that 
 are synthetic opioids'' and inserting ``2-benzylbenzimidazole 
 opioids, other controlled substances that are synthetic 
 opioids,''; and

    (2) in clause
            (ii) , by striking ``controlled substances'' 
 and inserting ``2-benzylbenzimidazole opioids and other 
 controlled substances''.

SEC. 5. DESIGNATION OF CERTAIN ENTITIES OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF 
 CHINA AS FOREIGN OPIOID TRAFFICKERS UNDER FENTANYL 
 SANCTIONS ACT.

    (a) In General.--

Section 7203

    (5) of the Fentanyl Sanctions Act (21 
U.S.C. 2302

    (5) ) is amended--

    (1) by striking ``The term `foreign opioid trafficker' 
 means any foreign person'' and inserting the following: ``The 
 term `foreign opioid trafficker'--
 ``
        (A) means any foreign person'';

    (2) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; 
 and''; and

    (3) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
        (B) includes--
 ``
            (i) any entity of the People's Republic 
 of China that the President determines--
 ``
            (I) produces, manufactures, 
 distributes, sells, or knowingly 
 finances or transports any goods 
 described in clause
            (i) or
            (ii) of 
 paragraph

    (8)
        (A) ; and
 ``
            (II) fails to take credible 
 steps, including through implementation 
 of appropriate know-your-customer 
 procedures or through cooperation with 
 United States counternarcotics efforts, 
 to detect or prevent opioid 
 trafficking; and
 ``
            (ii) any senior official of the 
 Government of the People's Republic of China or 
 other political official of the People's 
 Republic of China that--
 ``
            (I) has significant regulatory or 
 law enforcement responsibilities with 
 respect to the activities of an entity 
 described in clause
            (i) ; and
 ``
            (II) aids and abets, including 
 through intentional inaction, opioid 
 trafficking.''.

    (b) Assessment of Certain Agencies of the People's Republic of 
China as Foreign Opioid Traffickers.--

Section 7211

    (a)

    (1)
        (A) of the 
Fentanyl Sanctions Act (21 U.S.C. 2311

    (a)

    (1)
        (A) ) is amended by adding 
at the end before the semicolon the following: ``, including whether 
the heads of the National Narcotics Control Commission, the Ministry of 
Public Security, the General Administration of Customs, and the 
National Medical Products Administration of the Government of the 
People's Republic of China are foreign opioid traffickers''.

SEC. 6. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS 
 CONTRIBUTING TO OPIOID TRAFFICKING.

 

Section 7212 of the Fentanyl Sanctions Act (21 U.S.C. 2312) is 
amended--

    (1) by striking ``The President'' and inserting the 
 following:
 ``

    (a) Foreign Opioid Traffickers.--The President''; and

    (2) by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (b) Foreign Governments.--The President may impose one or more of 
the sanctions described in 

section 7213 with respect to each political 
subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of a foreign government, 
including any financial institution owned or controlled by a foreign 
government, that the President determines has knowingly on or after the 
date of the enactment of the Nitazene Sanctions Act--
 ``

    (1) engaged in a significant activity or a significant 
 financial transaction that has materially contributed to opioid 
 trafficking;
 ``

    (2) provided support for industries involved in the 
 development of precursors for synthetic opioids; or
 ``

    (3) provided support for the transport of such 
 precursors.''.

SEC. 7. EXTENSION OF FENTANYL SANCTIONS ACT.

 

Section 7211
            (c) of the Fentanyl Sanctions Act (21 U.S.C. 2311
            (c) ) 
is amended by striking ``5 years'' and inserting ``10 years''.
 <all>