Donald Trump accusing president Maduro of being a narco-terrorist is choosing to overlook the reality of the history of the availability of drugs like fentanyl and other opioids. It was the Sackler brothers who were billionaires that played a big role in the on-going crisis. They are the family behind one of the most addictive substances in the world, peddled to patients by their own doctors who downplayed their harmful effects. The advent of prescription opioids such as Purdue's OxyContin ushered in subsequent waves of opioid abuse. But in the early 2000s, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was made aware of rampant overprescribing and, by the 2010s, the drug had flooded US streets. OxyContin was the star of drug-maker Purdue Pharma’s portfolio, which proved a cash cow for the mega-elite Sacklers who at one point were worth $13 billion Highly addictive narcotics like OxyContin have hooked millions of people who, when their prescriptions ran out, turned to cheaper heroin and eventually its even deadlier cousin fentanyl. Although Purdue and the Sacklers claimed to be unaware of how addictive OxyContin was, a 2006 Department of Justice report listed the series of combative techniques Purdue employed to keep selling OxyContin, even when the company and family learned of people crushing and snorting the pills for its narcotic effects as early as the year it was released. The report found Purdue spent millions on marketing, giving away free samples, and offering bonuses to sales representatives to get doctors to prescribe OxyContin to their patients.

Members of the Sackler family who served on Purdue's board of directors helped to obscure the true addictiveness of the painkiller and rewarded prescribers for doling out a massive number of pills whether their patients needed them or not. The Sackler family,got a major break in a bankruptcy settlement shielding them from criminal charges for their role in fueling a deadly opioid crisis that has killed hundreds of thousands. The Sacklers were given immunity from civil lawsuits over their role in the opioid crisis. Following a four-year Justice Department investigation, the company pleaded guilty to a felony count of misbranding OxyContin in 2007 and paid over $600 million in fines and other costs. The family invested their money in offshore companies owned by the family or deposited into trusts that could not be touched by bankrupcy. An earlier bankruptcy plan would have seen the Sackler family pay $6 billion in settlements to creditors—including government, institutions and individuals suing them—and in return, they would be shielded from civil liability over the opioid crisis going forward.

The devastating consequences of prescription drug abuse are reflected in the rising rates of overdose deaths. In 2021, 16,706 people died from prescription opioid overdoses alone, a grim statistic that emphasizes the severity of the crisis. The situation has only worsened, as 107,081 people succumbed to opioid overdoses in 2022, highlighting a critical public health challenge. Moreover, nearly 52 million individuals aged 12 and older reported using prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons at least once during their lifetimes. This indicates a substantial prevalence of prescription drug misuse in the U.S.

So the real narco-terrorists are the drug-companies and those motivated by greed. The pharmaceutical industry's power is evident in its ability to shape healthcare policies, drug approval processes, and pricing, often at the expense of the American public. The Wall Street Journal confirms that pharmaceutical companies spent over $31 million on federal lobbying in 2024, a significant figure that underscores their influence in Washington. It is not surprising that drug companies are not held responsible for the harm they inflict on people. Big Pharma is an industry and a very powerful one at that.