The United States is facing an alarming increase in overdose deaths among young people due to synthetic opioids.
The rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids, which include fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, increased more than 20-fold between 2013 and 2022, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Overdoses and drug poisonings are now the third leading cause of death in people under age 20, behind firearms and motor vehicle crashes.
The overdose death counts among US youth ages 15 to 24 rose from 4,652 to 6,723 between 2018 and 2022, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics. (A slight decrease occurred between 2021 and 2022.)
The largest increase was seen in deaths involving only synthetic opioids: Since 2020, fatal overdoses involving only these substances were higher than overdoses in which multiple substances were implicated. Overdose rates were nearly 2.5 times higher among male youths compared with female youths and more than two times higher among those ages 20 to 24 compared with those ages 15 to 19.
As a parent, I wanted to know more about synthetic opioids and their uses. Why are they so dangerous, and how are overdoses treated? How can people tell if the drugs they are taking contain synthetic opioids? Crucially, what can parents and other family members do to help reduce the risk of overdose?
Beaufort, NC — Two men are now behind bars in connection with the death of a 25-year-old woman following a joint investigation, according to the Beaufort Police Department.
Officials say 26-year-old Ladavion Vontrell Manning of Morrisville and 24-year-old Kevin Crishawn Milliken of Apex are facing second-degree murder, death by distribution and the sale and delivery of Schedule II controlled substances.
Manning was taken into custody at his Morrisville home on May 2, 2025 and was also charged with sale and delivery of fentanyl. He remains jailed at the Carteret County Detention Center under a $750,000 bond.
On Tuesday, June 3 officials arrested Milliken in Chatham County. He also faces separate charges in Chatham County, including felony possession of cocaine, maintaining a vehicle or dwelling, possession of drug paraphernalia and simple possession of a schedule IV-controlled substance. Milliken remains in jail in Chatham County under a $1 million bond and will be transported to Carteret County for trial proceedings.
These arrests come after an investigation into the death of Riley Goolishian, who was found in her Beaufort home back on May 26 of 2024 unresponsive. Authorities say she died a day later at Carteret Health Care in Morehead City. It was confirmed her cause of death was fentanyl and cocaine toxicity through autopsy and toxicology findings.
The joint investigation determined that both Manning and Milliken sold fentanyl and cocaine to Goolishian the day prior to her being found unresponsive.
The investigating agencies include the Beaufort Police Department, Carteret County Sheriff’s Office and the NC SBI.
Beaufort Police Chief Paul Burdette stated, “This case represents a coordinated effort by multiple law enforcement agencies to bring justice in the face of a heartbreaking loss. We remain committed to pursuing those who distribute dangerous and illegal substances in our communities.”
“Because these funds are a one-time disbursement, as a community, we have to be strategic about where they are spent to ensure that we have a meaningful and lasting impact.”
Congressman McDowell pledges to fight fentanyl crisis in North Carolina after losing his brother to an overdose.
SALISBURY, N.C. — The fentanyl crisis tearing through North Carolina isn’t just a public safety threat — it’s personal. At a high-level roundtable this week in Salisbury, that reality hit home as lawmakers, prosecutors, and grieving families joined forces to demand action.
Congressman Addison McDowell, who convened the meeting, opened with a message that carried more weight than politics.
“Getting it off our streets is just the first step,” McDowell said. “Prosecuting those who profit from fentanyl is a major step as well.”
For McDowell, the fight is more than a policy priority — it’s a personal mission. His younger brother died from a fentanyl overdose, a tragedy that inspired his run for Congress.
“We want to stop the deaths that come with this poison,” he told the room, surrounded by district attorneys, sheriffs, and special agents.
Among the voices calling for change was Barbara Walsh, founder of the Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina. She clutched a photo of her daughter, Sophia, as she told the story no parent should have to repeat.
“Sophia was 24. She went to visit friends in Watauga County. On her way out of town, she stopped for water,” Walsh said. “That bottle, unknown to her, had just eight nanograms of fentanyl. It was enough to kill her.”
Her story silenced the room — a chilling reminder that behind the data are names, faces, and futures cut short.
“It’s more than a number. Every photo is just one ripple in a massive pond of fentanyl deaths,” Walsh said.
Local sheriffs echoed her urgency, pointing to limited resources and the growing reach of drug trafficking networks.
“What I’ve seen in three years as sheriff — this is a local resource issue,” said Rowan County Sheriff Travis Allen.
Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers added, “We can’t fight this alone. We have to work with partners — every agency, every county.”
The roundtable, titled “Prosecuting the Poison,” ended with a commitment to tougher laws, better coordination, and faster action.
For leaders like McDowell and families like the Walsh’s’, that commitment can’t come soon enough.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, help is available. Contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
On May 22nd Jeff Jackson’s newsletter featured details on the lawsuit filed against WeChat which is a key enabler of the fentanyl epidemic.
Last week, South Carolina’s Attorney General, Alan Wilson, joined me for a press conference.
He had accepted my invitation to make an announcement together.
That’s two different states – and two different parties – standing together for one reason.
Folks, it’s time to tell you about something I’ve been working on.
Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for people my age and younger. In North Carolina, we lose about six people a day.
It’s really the third wave of the opioid crisis that began with OxyContin in the 1990s. That was the prescription pill crisis, which became the heroin crisis, which became the synthetic heroin crisis, and that’s fentanyl.
As AG, I’ve met a lot of families who have lost loved ones. It’s crushing. And I have a responsibility to attack this problem on every front I can.
One of those fronts is illegal money laundering – the engine that makes the fentanyl trade so profitable. And I’m starting with a very big target.
How the Fentanyl Trade Works
Here’s a quick outline:
Step 1: Drug cartels in Mexico buy the chemical ingredients for fentanyl from China. Those ingredients are shipped to Mexico, mostly in large cargo ships but sometimes as regular air parcels via commercial carriers, like FedEx.
Step 2: The cartels mix those chemicals and produce fentanyl.
Step 3: The fentanyl is smuggled into the U.S., taken to various cities that serve as distribution hubs (often where highways intersect), then sold to dealers, who sell to users.
Step 4 (this is the money laundering part): The cash from the drug sales doesn’t go back to Mexico – not directly. Instead, it’s laundered through an underground banking network run by money brokers, often in China.
It’s important to know that China limits how much money its citizens can move out of the country – no more than $50,000 a year. But many wealthy Chinese nationals want to move more.
So brokers in China connect the two markets: the cartel’s drug traffickers in the U.S. and Chinese nationals who want to move their money out of the country and into U.S. dollars.
The broker accepts the cartel’s drug money, finds someone who wants to get money out of China, and makes a match.
Then the broker essentially says, “Ok, Mr. Cartel Guy – this Chinese currency is now yours. You can now buy anything you want that is made in China and we’ll ship it to you.”
And once those goods (often cars and farm equipment) are shipped from China to Mexico, the cartels arrange for them to be sold into the domestic market for pesos, at which point they collect their profit.
How much money are we talking about here?
Billions.
The WeChat connection
The evidence strongly suggests that the main platform used to facilitate that money laundering is an app called WeChat.
You’ve probably heard of WhatsApp. It’s the largest text messaging app in the world.
Well, the second-largest text messaging app is WeChat. It’s owned by a Chinese company and has over a billion users.
And when it comes to fentanyl money laundering, as one DEA agent said, “It’s all happening on WeChat.”
So I spent months digging into it. Talking with agents. Reading reports. When I felt like I had the full picture, I called five other attorneys general – two Democrats, three Republicans. I asked them to join me in stopping WeChat from being a safe harbor for money laundering.
They all agreed.
So we worked on our plan and last week we took the first step, which AG Wilson and I announced at our press conference (the other AGs were invited but live too far away to attend).
The first step is a public letter to WeChat summarizing some of the evidence about their complicity in a vast amount of money laundering and giving them 30 days to respond with a detailed account of steps they will now take to stop this.
If they fail to respond, we have a range of options for escalation.
But as I said at our press conference:
“Evidence suggests that WeChat has allowed itself to become an enormous digital pipeline for money laundering that fuels the fentanyl trade. By allowing that to continue, WeChat is essentially helping to bankroll the fentanyl epidemic. This must stop.”
I’ll let you know what we hear back, and that will determine next steps.
AmeriCorps lawsuit
One more quick update:
We recently filed a lawsuit against the federal administration after it attempted to unlawfully defund AmeriCorps.
Congress authorized AmeriCorps funding, and the executive branch cannot unilaterally cut it.
But beyond that, it would have hit western North Carolina especially hard as it’s rebuilding from Hurricane Helene. AmeriCorps has a strong presence there.
We had a hearing this week on a request for an injunction to stop the government from cutting this vital program. We expect to hear soon how the first round of that case will go.
Best,
Jeff
P.S. Avery stopped by the office the other day. Here she is signing some very important papers:
Police charge Matthew Porter with his brother’s death after giving him fentanyl.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — A man was charged with the death of his brother on Wednesday after police said he gave him fentanyl.
Police arrested Matthew Glenn Porter, 37, in relation to an overdose investigation into the death of his brother Jeffrey Allen Porter, 38.
Jefferey was found unresponsive in his home back in Sept. 2024. He was taken to the hospital where he later died, according to police. The Medical Examiner ruled he died by overdose.
In an arrest warrant obtained by WFMY News 2, police said Matthew gave Jeffery the fentanyl.
Matthew was charged with one count of death by distribution and has a $200,000 bond.
The Chinese messaging app WeChat has more than a billion users globally
Attorney General Alan Wilson speaks at a news conference on Monday, May 12, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C., about an effort to hold WeChat, a Chinese messaging app, accountable for its role in the fentanyl trade. He’s accompanied by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Lt. Robert Sprague. (Photo courtesy of Attorney General Alan Wilson’s Office)
Attorneys general from six states, including both Carolinas, say they’re demanding accountability from WeChat, a Chinese messaging and payment platform being used by fentanyl traffickers.
The bipartisan group is giving WeChat, what’s become known as a super app, a month to detail what steps it’s taking, if any, to combat its use as a money launderer for the international drug trade.
“We need answers; we need them now,” Republican Alan Wilson, South Carolina’s attorney general since 2011, said at a news conference Monday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Standing beside him was North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, a Democrat.
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is cracking down on a popular texting app that he says is helping fuel the fentanyl epidemic.
In a Monday announcement, Jackson and five other attorneys general said they’ve sent a letter to the leaders of the app “WeChat” for allegedly playing a role in fentanyl money laundering.
“We wanna hit the cartels where it hurts,” Jackson told WECT. “And where it hurts is this money laundering, this digital pipeline that has opened up.”
The Chinese-based app, with over a billion users around the world and thousands in North Carolina, is designed to support encrypted communication between people, and also has an integrated payment system. But criminals are using that payment system, Jackson said, to launder drug money.
WeChat is at the center of a triangle of criminal activity between the United States, China, and cartels, Jackson said. The cartels move fentanyl into the U.S., and the sales money then goes to China. Laundered money and goods then move “discreetly” from China back to the cartels, Jackson said, with communication and money transfers often going through WeChat.
This graphic shows the ‘pipeline’ by which fentanyl is brought into the US and payments are funneled through Chinese money launderers back to the cartels.(NC DOJ)
“The motive for most crime is money. If you want to reduce the crime, you reduce the money. The way we reduce the money here is focusing on WeChat,” he said.
The attorney general said he’s given WeChat 30 days to identify potential solutions to the issue. The app has “yet to adequately address the exploitation of its platform by criminal actors,” the announcement said.
A comment request from a WeChat representative wasn’t immediately returned.
“We want them to do enough to change the reputation that WeChat has, because right now, WeChat has a reputation as a safe haven for facilitating money laundering,” Jackson said.
The fentanyl crisis has affected communities around the state and country; with roughly six per day, overdoses from the drug are now the leading cause of death for people under the age of 45 in North Carolina, according to the North Carolina Department of Justice.
Monday’s announcement also cited several recent investigations and criminal cases that involved WeChat being used in fentanyl-related money laundering:
“The 2021 conviction of Xizhi Li, who managed an international criminal network using WeChat to coordinate bulk cash transfers between Chinese banks and drug cartels.
Operation Chem Capture (2023), in which eight companies and 12 individuals were indicted for trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals, with transactions coordinated through WeChat.
Collaboration between Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel and Chinese laundering networks, which regularly use WeChat to facilitate cash pickups, currency swaps, and repatriation of drug proceeds.
A recent 2024 federal indictment in South Carolina, charging three defendants with using WeChat to communicate in order to launder proceeds from fentanyl sales as part of an international conspiracy.”
