White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway, tapped by Trump to oversee efforts to fight the opioid crisis, told reporters the administration would “continue to name and shame and prosecute and punish people who are peddling their poison into our kids and into our communities.” The US government has imposed sanctions on three Chinese men arrested on charges of fentanyl smuggling . It follows President Trump 's claim Beijing has acted to prevent the flow of Chinese synthetic opioids to the US . A 2018 US Congressional Research Service report revealed the three men remained free , despite Washington 's calls for China to place them under arrest . More than 100 opioid - related overdose deaths occurred in the US in 2017 , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The US government has imposed sanctions on three Chinese men arrested on charges of fentanyl smuggling . It follows President Trump 's claim Beijing has acted to prevent the flow of Chinese synthetic opioids to the US . A 2018 US Congressional Research Service report revealed the three men remained free , despite Washington 's calls for China to place them under arrest . More than 100 opioid - related overdose deaths occurred in the US in 2017 , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .