Fentanyl Kills Act

The Fentanyl Kills Act would overhaul federal law by tying fentanyl trafficking directly to attempted murder. It amends 18 U.S.C. §1111 to add a broad definition of “trafficked fentanyl,” covering not only illicit fentanyl itself but also related substances, precursors, foreign production intended for import, and various forms of facilitation (manufacturing, distributing, financing, transporting, attempting, conspiring, or aiding). Importantly, anyone found to have trafficked fentanyl would be deemed to have attempted to perpetrate murder under the attempted-murder provisions of §1111 and would face the penalties that apply to attempted murder. In short, the bill seeks to elevate fentanyl trafficking to a capital-level-style charge in terms of potential penalty, using the murder statute as the enforcement framework. The bill also provides specific definitional expansions to ensure that “trafficked fentanyl” includes synthetic opioids and related chemicals used to produce fentanyl, fentanyl-related substances, and precursors, with coverage extending to activities in or outside the United States intended to bring fentanyl into the U.S. The overall aim is to deter fentanyl trafficking by imposing harsher consequences on traffickers.