WASHINGTON (May 15, 2025) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Thursday released its 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA), providing a detailed overview of the threats posed by illicit drugs and the violent drug trafficking organizations endangering American communities.
The NDTA is a key resource used by law enforcement, policymakers, and community leaders to understand and combat the evolving drug landscape.
“This year’s report indicates progress in the fight against fentanyl and also outlines the increasing challenges we face with the changing landscape of the synthetic drug crisis,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy. “The adulterating of fentanyl with highly potent, dangerous chemicals reminds us that this fight is far from over. DEA and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners must continue to adapt and work together to attack global drug trafficking organizations at every level. By joining forces to reduce supply and demand, we can destroy the drug trafficking networks and achieve a safer and healthier future for all Americans.”
The report highlights continued threats from major cartels and criminal groups designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), including the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Northeast Cartel, New Michoacán Family, Gulf Cartel, United Cartels, Tren de Aragua (TdA), and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).
Key findings include:
Drug overdose deaths declined by more than 20 percent in 2024, marking the eleventh consecutive month of reductions reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite this progress, over 80,000 Americans still died from drug poisonings and overdoses last year.
DEA laboratories report a decrease in fentanyl purity, but warn that this should not be mistaken for a safer drug. The rise in fentanyl mixed with animal tranquilizers and other synthetic opioids increases the danger to users who are unaware of what they consume or sell.
Mixing illicit substances, or “drug cocktails,” is increasingly common. The National Forensic Laboratory Information System reported that one in four cocaine samples and one in eight methamphetamine samples tested also contained fentanyl.
Veterinary tranquilizer xylazine remains the top adulterant in fentanyl, with a more powerful anesthetic, medetomidine, emerging in the drug supply, posing new risks.
Over four million youths and young adults ages 12 to 20 reported vaping marijuana in the past year.
Chinese transnational criminal organizations dominate the domestic cultivation and distribution of marijuana in states where cannabis is legal, producing some of the most potent marijuana ever trafficked, with THC levels averaging 25 to 30 percent.
The 2025 NDTA is dedicated to DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, who was murdered in Mexico in 1985. In February 2025, the United States secured custody of Rafael Caro Quintero, charged with Camarena’s torture and murder. Quintero will now face justice in the U.S. for crimes committed on behalf of the Guadalajara Cartel.
