I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3205 
To disrupt the international fentanyl supply chain, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 11, 2023 
Mr. MCCAUL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Ju-
diciary, Oversight and Accountability, and Financial Services, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To disrupt the international fentanyl supply chain, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Project Precursor Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
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Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 
TITLE I—DEPARTMENT OF STATE BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL 
NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS, BUREAU OF 
GLOBAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS, AND BUREAU OF INTELLIGENCE 
AND RESEARCH 
Sec. 101. Authorizations to strengthen Mexican law enforcement capacity to 
disrupt fentanyl supply chains. 
Sec. 102. Public diplomacy as a weapon to delegitimize cartels and disrupt 
criminal recruitment. 
Sec. 103. Chinese operations in Mexico. 
Sec. 104. Relevant congressional committees defined. 
TITLE II—CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION 
Sec. 201. Actions to seek to amend the chemical weapons convention to include 
covered fentanyl substances on schedule 1, 2, or 3 of the annex 
on chemicals to the chemical weapons convention. 
TITLE III—SANCTIONS AND OTHER PENALTIES 
Subtitle A—Modification and Extension of Fentanyl Sanctions Act 
Sec. 301. Determination and report on additional foreign opioid traffickers. 
Sec. 302. Termination. 
Subtitle B—Sanctions With Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations 
Sec. 311. Imposition of sanctions. 
Sec. 312. Sanctions described. 
Sec. 313. Penalties; waivers; exceptions. 
Sec. 314. Report required. 
Subtitle C—Definitions 
Sec. 321. Definitions. 
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TITLE 
I—DEPARTMENT 
OF 
STATE BUREAU OF INTER-
NATIONAL NARCOTICS AND 
LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS, 
BUREAU OF GLOBAL PUBLIC 
AFFAIRS, AND BUREAU OF IN-
TELLIGENCE AND RESEARCH 
SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATIONS TO STRENGTHEN MEXICAN 
LAW ENFORCEMENT CAPACITY TO DISRUPT 
FENTANYL SUPPLY CHAINS. 
(a) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
PROGRAM.—Notwith-
standing section 660 of the Foreign Affairs Assistance Act 
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2420), the Secretary of State, acting 
through the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Inter-
national Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, is au-
thorized to carry out a program to build the capacity of 
Mexican law enforcement agencies to prevent the transit, 
trafficking, and distribution of fentanyl and its precursor 
chemicals and analogues into the United States from Mex-
ico. 
(b) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—The program authorized 
by subsection (a) shall include projects and activities, at 
a minimum, that address— 
(1) canine unit support for drug detection; 
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(2) disrupting fentanyl trafficking in express 
consignment, as well as in postal, shipping, and 
transportation operations conducted by the Govern-
ment and private business sectors; 
(3) forensic chemist information exchanges, 
equipment, and drug profiling; 
(4) efforts meant to increase Mexican Federal 
and state laboratory forensic accreditation to iden-
tify fentanyl and other drugs; 
(5) efforts to increase the number of handheld 
synthetic drug detection devices; 
(6) the provision of equipment and training re-
lated to identifying and dismantling clandestine lab-
oratories that produce synthetic drugs; 
(7) efforts proven to reduce diversion of pre-
cursor chemicals from licit to illicit purposes; 
(8) precursor chemical information sharing be-
tween governments and among various agencies; 
(9) maritime interdiction of synthetic drugs; 
(10) cargo container control and inspection; and 
(11) chemical industry mapping. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated $64,000,000 to carry out 
the programs described in subsection (a). 
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(d) PRIORITIZATION OF MEXICO IN EFFORTS TO 
COMBAT INTERNATIONAL FENTANYL TRAFFICKING.— 
The Secretary of State, acting through the Assistant Sec-
retary of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law 
Enforcement Affairs, shall prioritize Mexico in all efforts 
of the Department of State to combat international traf-
ficking of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs by carrying 
out programs and activities in Mexico and throughout the 
greater Latin American region, in consultation with the 
Government of Mexico and other relevant governments, 
with respect to the following: 
(1) Providing technical assistance and equip-
ment, as appropriate, to strengthen the capacity of 
Mexican law enforcement agencies with respect to 
combating the trafficking of fentanyl and other syn-
thetic drugs. 
(2) Carrying out exchange programs for govern-
mental and nongovernmental personnel, such as pro-
grams conducted at the International Law Enforce-
ment Academy in El Salvador and at other locations 
in the United States and Mexico, to provide edu-
cational and professional development on disrupting 
fentanyl supply chains, interdicting fentanyl and 
precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl, and 
other synthetic drugs at seaports and on land and 
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permanently dismantling transnational drug traf-
ficking organization operations. 
(e) REPORT ON LAW ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION 
AND OBSTRUCTION IN MEXICO.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant 
Secretary of the Bureau of International Narcotics and 
Law Enforcement Affairs shall submit to the relevant con-
gressional committees an unclassified report, that may in-
clude a classified annex, detailing— 
(1) efforts taken by the various law enforce-
ment agencies in Mexico to disrupt the flow of 
fentanyl and its precursor chemicals; and 
(2) the extent to which any part of the Govern-
ment of Mexico has refused to work with the United 
States, or otherwise obstructed, paused, or unneces-
sarily delayed bilateral security cooperation with re-
spect to disrupting the flow of fentanyl and its pre-
cursor chemicals. 
(f) UNITED STATES DEATH TOLL AS CHIEF MONI-
TORING AND EVALUATION METRIC.— 
(1) METRICS TO EVALUATE EFFORTS.—The Of-
fice of Knowledge Management of the Bureau of 
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Af-
fairs shall use monthly and yearly statistics indi-
cating the number of United States citizens who die 
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from the consumption or ingestion of fentanyl and 
other illicit narcotics— 
(A) as the primary monitoring and evalua-
tion metric of the efforts led by such bureau in 
Mexico; and 
(B) to gauge whether bilateral efforts to 
disrupt synthetic drug production and precursor 
chemical transit throughout Mexico are achiev-
ing measurable desired impacts, with a rising 
number of United States deaths indicating a 
failure to achieve such impacts. 
(2) IMPROPER USE OF DATA.—The Bureau of 
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Af-
fairs, in its monitoring and evaluation practices, may 
not use data related to drug seizures or clandestine 
laboratory raids in Mexico as a substitute for the 
data described in paragraph (1). 
(3) REPORT
ON
PROGRESS.—Not later than 
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
and every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of 
State, acting through the Assistant Secretary of the 
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforce-
ment Affairs, shall submit a report to the relevant 
congressional committees indicating whether, based 
on the statistics described in paragraph (1), its Mex-
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ico programs (including projects and activities under 
the program authorized by subsection (a)) are 
achieving desired outcomes, including a ranking of 
all such programs from most effective to least effec-
tive. 
SEC. 
102. 
PUBLIC 
DIPLOMACY 
AS 
A 
WEAPON 
TO 
DELEGITIMIZE 
CARTELS 
AND 
DISRUPT 
CRIMINAL RECRUITMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary 
of the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, in consultation 
with the United States Ambassador to Mexico and other 
diplomatic and consular posts in Mexico, as well as with 
the United States entertainment and media industries and 
private and government actors in Mexico, shall formulate 
and deploy a public relations campaign, the goal of which 
is to delegitimize and humiliate, in the Mexican and the 
United States social consciousness, Mexican transnational 
criminal organizations involved in illicit fentanyl traf-
ficking, as well as to permanently disrupt and cripple such 
organizations’ ability to recruit new members. 
(b) BRIEFING.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Bureau of Global Public 
Affairs shall brief the relevant congressional committees 
on the implementation of this provision. 
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(c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Bureau of Global Public 
Affairs shall submit to the relevant congressional commit-
tees a report detailing the implementation of subsection 
(a). 
SEC. 103. CHINESE OPERATIONS IN MEXICO. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau 
of Intelligence and Research shall submit to the relevant 
congressional committees a classified report describing the 
operations and geographic footprint of all Chinese state- 
and non-state actors inside Mexico that are involved in 
the illegal importation, production, transport, or traf-
ficking of fentanyl or its precursor chemicals into or 
through Mexico. 
SEC. 104. RELEVANT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED. 
In this title, the term ‘‘relevant congressional com-
mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate. 
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TITLE II—CHEMICAL WEAPONS 
CONVENTION 
SEC. 201. ACTIONS TO SEEK TO AMEND THE CHEMICAL 
WEAPONS CONVENTION TO INCLUDE COV-
ERED FENTANYL SUBSTANCES ON SCHEDULE 
1, 2, OR 3 OF THE ANNEX ON CHEMICALS TO 
THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices and the Attorney General, shall use the voice, vote, 
and influence of the United States at the Conference of 
the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention 
to seek to amend the Chemical Weapons Convention to 
include each covered fentanyl substance on schedule 1, 2, 
or 3 of the Annex on Chemicals to the Chemical Weapons 
Convention. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 
submit to Congress a report on the implementation of this 
section. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘Chemical Weapons Convention’’ 
means the Convention on the Prohibition of the De-
velopment, Production, Stockpiling and use of 
Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, done at 
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Paris, January 13, 1993 (commonly known as the 
‘‘Chemical Weapons Convention’’); and 
(2) the term ‘‘covered fentanyl substance’’ 
means— 
(A) fentanyl, including its isomers, esters, 
ethers, salts, and salts of isomers, esters, and 
ethers, whenever the existence of such isomers, 
esters, ethers, and salts is possible within the 
specific chemical designation (as such terms are 
used in the Controlled Substances Act (21 
U.S.C. 801 et seq.)); 
(B) any controlled substance analogue of 
fentanyl (as the term ‘‘controlled substance 
analogue’’ is defined in section 102(32) of the 
Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802(32)); 
and 
(C) any immediate precursor (as defined in 
section 102(23) of the Controlled Substances 
Act (21 U.S.C. 802(23)) of fentanyl. 
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TITLE III—SANCTIONS AND 
OTHER PENALTIES 
Subtitle A—Modification and Ex-
tension of Fentanyl Sanctions 
Act 
SEC. 301. DETERMINATION AND REPORT ON ADDITIONAL 
FOREIGN OPIOID TRAFFICKERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Fentanyl Sanctions Act (title 
LXXII of division F of Public Law 116–92; 21 U.S.C. 
2301 et seq.) is amended by adding after section 7217 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 7218. DETERMINATION AND REPORT ON ADDITIONAL 
FOREIGN OPIOID TRAFFICKERS. 
‘‘(a) DETERMINATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall make a 
determination as to whether any of the foreign per-
sons described in paragraph (2)— 
‘‘(A) is a foreign opioid trafficker; or 
‘‘(B) is engaging in any of the conduct de-
scribed in Executive Order 14059 (86 Fed. 
Reg. 71549; relating to imposing sanctions on 
foreign persons involved in the global illicit drug 
trade) or has engaged in any such conduct in 
the prior 365 days. 
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‘‘(2) FOREIGN PERSONS DESCRIBED.—The for-
eign persons described in this paragraph are the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) Any foreign bank (as such term is de-
fined in section 1(b) of the International Bank-
ing Act of 1978 (12 U.S.C. 3101(b))) that op-
erates in— 
‘‘(i) the People’s Republic of China; or 
‘‘(ii) Mexico. 
‘‘(B) Any money transmitting business 
that processed more than $25,000,000 in trans-
actions in— 
‘‘(i) any of the 5 calendar years pre-
ceding the date of enactment of the Project 
Precursor Act; 
‘‘(ii) the calendar year in which the 
Project Precursor Act is enacted; or 
‘‘(iii) any calendar year after the cal-
endar year described in clause (ii). 
‘‘(C) Any transnational criminal organiza-
tion. 
‘‘(b) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of the Project Precursor Act, and every 
180 days thereafter, the President shall submit to the ap-
propriate congressional committees a report containing— 
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‘‘(1) a list of all foreign persons that the Presi-
dent has determined to be foreign opioid traffickers 
pursuant to subsection (a); and 
‘‘(2) for each foreign person identified on the 
list required by paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) whether the President has imposed 
any or all of the relevant sanctions described in 
section 7213 or Executive Order 14059 with re-
spect to the foreign person; and 
‘‘(B) with respect to which any of the 
sanctions described in section 7213 or Execu-
tive Order 14059 have been waived or deter-
mined not to apply due to an exception or an 
exercise of discretion, a description of the spe-
cific legal grounds for the waiver, exception, or 
exercise of discretion. 
‘‘(c) FORM.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The report required by 
subsection (b) shall be submitted in unclassified 
form, but may contain a classified annex if nec-
essary. 
‘‘(2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The unclassified 
portion of the report shall be made available on a 
publicly available internet website of the Federal 
Government. 
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‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘money transmitting business’ 
means a foreign person who engages in the activities 
described in section 5330(d)(1)(A) of title 31, 
United States Code; and 
‘‘(2) the term ‘transnational criminal organiza-
tion’ has the meaning given that term in section 431 
of the Project Precursor Act.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 
in section 2(b) of Public Law 116–92 and the table of 
contents in title LXXII of division F of such Public Law 
are each amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 7217 the following: 
‘‘Sec. 7218. Determination and report on additional foreign opioid traffickers.’’. 
SEC. 302. TERMINATION. 
Section 7233 of the Fentanyl Sanctions Act (21 
U.S.C. 2301 et seq.) is amended by striking ‘‘7 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘7 
years after the date of the enactment of the Project Pre-
cursor Act’’. 
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Subtitle B—Sanctions With Respect 
to Transnational Criminal Orga-
nizations 
SEC. 311. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS. 
The President shall impose the sanctions described 
in section 312 with respect to any foreign person the 
President determines is knowingly involved in— 
(1) the trafficking of fentanyl, fentanyl precur-
sors, or other related opioids by a transnational 
criminal organization; or 
(2) the activities of a transnational criminal or-
ganization relating to the trafficking of fentanyl, 
fentanyl precursors, or other related opioids. 
SEC. 312. SANCTIONS DESCRIBED. 
(a) BLOCKING OF PROPERTY.—The President shall, 
pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Pow-
ers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), block and prohibit all 
transactions in property and interests in property of a for-
eign person described in section 311 if such property and 
interests in property are in the United States, come within 
the United States, or are or come within the possession 
or control of a United States person. 
(b) INELIGIBILITY FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PA-
ROLE.— 
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(1) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An alien 
described in section 311 shall be— 
(A) inadmissible to the United States; 
(B) ineligible to receive a visa or other doc-
umentation to enter the United States; and 
(C) otherwise ineligible to be admitted or 
paroled into the United States or to receive any 
other benefit under the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). 
(2) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The visa or other entry 
documentation of any alien described in section 
311 is subject to revocation regardless of the 
issue date of the visa or other entry documenta-
tion. 
(B) IMMEDIATE
EFFECT.—A revocation 
under subparagraph (A) shall in accordance 
with section 221(i) of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i))— 
(i) take effect immediately; and 
(ii) cancel any other valid visa or 
entry documentation that is in the posses-
sion of the alien. 
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