# Why is fentanyl smuggled in? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 5, 2025, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fentanyl-smuggled-in/1015184 "2025-03-05T23:42:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fentanyl-smuggled-in/1015184/21 "2025-03-12T21:44:30Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Dealers are selling drugs to addicts. Is there really a need for marketing? They are also selling to tens of millions of partiers/occasional users. I’m not one of them but it’s a significant chunk and probably the majority like people going to certain festivals, raves and Burning Man type events. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fentanyl-smuggled-in/1015184/22 "2025-03-12T22:40:09Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > The goal is to produce a similar enough high at a lower cost, to improve the margin without losing the repeat business (other than to death). A higher or better high would be marketing. A similar high sold for the same that costs less to the seller is just higher profit margin. This may be one of the silliest arguments I’ve ever been involved in. But I stand by what I’ve written. If you are enhancing the high, you are not maintaining a similar high. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2025, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fentanyl-smuggled-in/1015184/23 "2025-03-13T00:01:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > This may be one of the silliest arguments Agreed! But the competition has been fierce. Anyway, agreed that the use is to use less of the more expensive stuff by diluting it with more potent but more dangerous cheaper stuff, and therefore make more profit? Not to build more market demand or justify a higher price for a “better” product. With the answer to my OP question that the cost of smuggling is small compared to increased expenses and … operational challenges … incurred making it on this side of the border. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2025, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fentanyl-smuggled-in/1015184/24 "2025-03-13T11:51:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Dealers are selling drugs to addicts. Is there really a need for marketing? > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If the manufacturers were just seeking to lower production costs, they’d add talcum powder to the heroin they were making. That would be margin improvement. OK, whatever word you want to use, these two statements are at odds with each other. Even addicts will seek an alternative supply if you water down your product too much with non-active ingredients. The fent is there to keep consumer behavior the same while decreasing your cost of goods. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2025, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fentanyl-smuggled-in/1015184/25 "2025-03-13T18:02:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But I stand by what I’ve written. Good to know where your hill is! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2025, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fentanyl-smuggled-in/1015184/26 "2025-03-13T21:10:36Z")
Fentanyl is smuggled in because border police will impound it and throw you in jail if you just carry it over the border out in the open. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2025, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fentanyl-smuggled-in/1015184/27 "2025-03-14T03:43:55Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Fentanyl is smuggled in because border police will impound it and throw you in jail if you just carry it over the border out in the open. Aren’t they just using drones and catapaults at this point? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fentanyl-smuggled-in/1015184.md?page=1)