The Trump administration has issued an urgent alert to Americans about a dangerous new drug making its way into communities across the country.
Sara Carter, often referred to as the “drug czar,” appeared on “Hannity” Monday evening to discuss medetomidine, a powerful sedative also known as the “rhino tranquilizer.”
“For the first time, we have collaborated with the CDC to issue a nationwide alert,” Carter shared with Fox News host Sean Hannity. “We’ve sent it out across the nation to inform first responders and healthcare providers about the presence of medetomidine.”
The federal alert highlights the growing trend of medetomidine being mixed with illicit fentanyl, a combination Carter warns is lethal. According to the health advisory, the drug has been increasingly detected in drug seizures since 2023, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest regions.
“Medetomidine poses a significant threat to our communities, and this situation underscores the reality that the only safe level of illegal drug use is none,” stated Carter, who serves as the Director of National Drug Control Policy, in the White House alert.
She explained that the alert is part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to assist law enforcement in their efforts to combat drug smuggling. Carter mentioned that by employing techniques such as nationwide wastewater testing, the administration was able to identify the emergence of this drug at an early stage.
“We are going to stay ahead of our adversaries. We are not going to sit there and support policies that only benefit the drug cartels and our adversaries,” Carter added. “We put a stop to that.”
Carter also discussed President Donald Trump’s “power through strength” strategy to target cartels.
“What he says, he means,” she said. “Whether you’re talking to leaders in Central America or Mexico, like I have, or across the globe.”
She noted that major operations, such as the removal of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and partnering with Mexico to take out cartel leader El Mencho, sent a message that the United States intends to protect the Western Hemisphere from narco-terrorists.
“This is President Trump’s promise to the American people: We will not relent,” Carter said.
“We’ll not only remove the heads of the snake, we’re going to remove their financing. We’re going to hit them where it hurts most. We’re going to pull the rug out from under them, and they will be struggling to survive,” she added.
The crackdown follows the administration’s December 2025 move to officially designate fentanyl and its precursor chemicals as Weapons of Mass Destruction. That designation expanded the U.S. ability to use intelligence-gathering tactics and military resources to “eliminate” the threat of illicit substances.
