ATLANTA — Another federal official visited Georgia this week. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen addressed fentanyl trafficking and the ongoing opioid crisis alongside regional law enforcement leaders in Atlanta.
Yellen announced that the treasury's office sanctioned eight targets affiliated with "La Nueva La Familia Michoacana." Yellen described it as a notorious Mexican criminal organization that traffics fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the country and the Peach State.
"Far too many families and communities across the United States are losing their loved ones to opioids. And while this is first and foremost a heartbreaking personal loss, it's also a loss for our country," she added.
Yellen added that the sanctions are to target kingpins who "seek to exploit our financial system."
"The leaders we're targeting have carried out heinous acts, from controlling drug routes to arms trafficking to money laundering to murder," the U.S. official added. "Our sanctions will cut off the cartel leaders from their ill-gotten money and make it harder for them to bring deadly fentanyl to our streets."
She also announced that the treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a new advisory to help banks detect financial transactions that fuel the fentanyl supply chain.
Yellen also included some statistics about drug overdose deaths in the United States.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in the year 2022, nearly 108,000 people died from drug-involved overdoses.
Yellen added in the news conference that since 2000, over a million people in the United States died from drug overdoses.
"Hundreds of thousands more Americans could die from drug overdoses by the end of this decade," Yellen said. "Here in Georgia, overdose deaths involving fentanyl increased by over 200% between 2019 and 2021. And this is simply a staggering, almost unimaginable toll."
According to a news release from the federal department, the Treasury plays a leading role in countering drug trafficking. The recent announcement is a part of the Biden Administration's broader counter-narcotics strategy.
The department added that last year, Yellen announced the Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force to fight general financial crime. Through the Strike Force, the Treasury Department and IRS launched the Promoting Regional Outreach to Educate Communities on the Threat of Fentanyl (PROTECT), which brings local law enforcement and financial institutions together to combat drug trafficking.
President Biden also launched his Unity Agenda. With the agenda, the administration has increased access to lifesaving medications, like NARCAN, added more drug detection machines at the border and more.
Yellen also added that last July, Biden launched the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, which brings together over 100 countries and 11 international organizations in counter-narcotics to focus on our bilateral relationships, including those with China.
The treasury secretary briefly answered reporters' questions after the news conference, during which she addressed foreign affairs and high inflation.
"I think the problems with Americans feeling that they're in necessities of life that are just becoming unaffordable really date back some way. But the price increases that occurred during the pandemic made matters worse," she added.
The treasury secretary also added multiple steps the Biden administration has taken to address inflation in the country.
Yellen's visit follows Vice President Kamala Harris's visit to Peach State on Tuesday. During that visit, Harris discussed gun violence prevention in a moderated conversation with rapper Quavo.
The Treasury Secretary plans to give remarks and participate in several roundtables with banks, law enforcement agencies and local businesses to discuss ways to disrupt illicit drug trafficking. She also plans to visit Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta to highlight the hospital's rehabilitative efforts for the opioid crisis.
Yellen also announced plans to reach ten more cities across the country by the end of the year and meet with their local law enforcement and financial institutions.