DEA: 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment

Published on May 13, 2026

Graphic source: United States Drug Enforcement Administration. May 2025. National Drug Threat Assessment. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved June 9, 2026, from https://www.dea.gov/documents/2025/2025-05/2025-05-13/national-drug-threat-assessment

In this update, the SR-DDRC wants to highlight information from the 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment published by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The report identified the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as the dominant forces fueling the domestic drug crisis. Both were recently designated as foreign terrorist organizations. These cartels flood the U.S. market with methamphetamine and fentanyl that is pressed into pill form so as to resemble legitimate medication.

While the synthetic drug threat remains severe, the assessment highlights a historic turning point: the United States has recorded its largest 12-month drop in drug overdose deaths ever registered. Despite this positive momentum, synthetic opioids remain exceptionally lethal, especially as traffickers continuously alter the street supply by mixing fentanyl into traditional drugs like cocaine and heroin and by adding dangerous sedatives like xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer. Follow the link below for more details from the report.

The full text of the 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment is available on the DEA website: https://www.dea.gov/documents/2025/2025-05/2025-05-13/national-drug-threat-assessment

References

United States Drug Enforcement Administration. May 2025. National Drug Threat Assessment. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved June 9, 2026, from https://www.dea.gov/documents/2025/2025-05/2025-05-13/national-drug-threat-assessment.