The White House warned Tuesday that three potent fentanyl analogues involved in at least 12,500 deaths since 2023 have reached every region of the country, including carfentanil, a substance up to 100 times more potent than fentanyl.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy identified carfentanil, fluorofentanyl and methylfentanyl as the nation’s greatest current threat from fentanyl analogues because of their lethality and prevalence. ONDCP provided the release and notice to The Dallas Express.
Drug Czar Sara Carter credited President Donald Trump (R) with acting against the fentanyl trade.
“President Trump has taken historic action to stop the flow of fentanyl into our country,” Carter said in the release. “Drug traffickers continue to produce and smuggle deadly substances into the United States.”
Deadlier drugs spread nationwide
Federal lab testing found all three analogues in every U.S. region during 2025. Carfentanil samples rose 206% from 2024, while methylfentanyl samples increased 297%, according to the notice.
The DEA’s National Forensic Laboratory Information System recorded methylfentanyl in 36 states. Federal labs detected carfentanil and fluorofentanyl in every state except South Dakota and Hawaii.
ONDCP detected carfentanil in Texas wastewater samples in 2026. The federal laboratory system also recorded methylfentanyl samples submitted from Texas in 2025.
Carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl. Fluorofentanyl and methylfentanyl can be as potent as or more potent than fentanyl, according to ONDCP. Traffickers distribute the substances in counterfeit prescription pills or mix them into cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin, the agency said.
Hospital tests may miss carfentanil
Standard hospital opioid urine screens do not detect fentanyl analogues. Some standard fentanyl screens can detect fluorofentanyl or methylfentanyl, depending on the test, but they do not detect carfentanil, according to the notice.
ONDCP urged first responders to prepare for extra doses of naloxone during suspected opioid overdoses and told bystanders to call 911 immediately. It also warned Americans never to take a pill without a prescription because any illicit drug can contain synthetic opioids.
People can call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, review federal guidance on overdose signs or find treatment at FindTreatment.gov.
Threat shifts as deaths fall
The warning comes as overall overdose deaths decline. The Dallas Express previously reported that total U.S. drug overdose deaths fell nearly 14% in 2025, while deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone fell 22%.
The White House pointed to Trump’s May 2026 National Drug Control Strategy as the administration’s road map for combating illicit drugs.
