Cartels Are Scrambling as Fentanyl Precursor Supply From China Dries Up: FBI Director

FBI Director Kash Patel and Jan Jekielek, Epoch Times senior editor and host of “American Thought Leaders,” in Washington on Nov. 26, 2025. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch TimesFBI Director Kash Patel has said that with Beijing shutting off exports of fentanyl precursor chemicals, cartels in Mexico, Venezuela, and Colombia are scrambling to find alternatives—and there aren’t any.“We know where they are, we know who they are, we know how they do it. And when we surveil and monitor and investigate these folks, we see that they are complaining about not having the necessary ingredients and mechanics to make fentanyl,” Patel said in an exclusive interview airing on EpochTV at 5 p.m. ET on Nov. 29.