Speeches

Thank you so much, Damian, and good afternoon, everyone. We are here today because of the swift action of the prosecutors of the Southern District of New York working with federal, and state and local law enforcement partners. We are here today to hold accountable multiple corporate executives from Archegos Capital Management, whose alleged crimes jeopardized not only their own company, but also innocent investors and financial institutions around the world. 

Good afternoon everyone. I am joined today by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.

Fentanyl, while providing great help and hope to those suffering from chronic pain throughout the United States, has also been the cause of tragic suffering and death for hundreds of thousands of people. Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and its chemical variants or analogues are significantly more potent and lethal than heroin.  Carfentanil, for example, is an analogue of fentanyl that is approximately 100 times more potent than fentanyl and approximately 1,000 times more potent than heroin.  Its commercial uses include serving as a tranquilizer for large animals such as elephants and rhinoceroses.  Even the tiniest amount of a fentanyl analogue – just a few grains, less than an eighth the size of a penny – can be fatal to humans.