Trump lists 23 major drug transit/producing nations, including India, Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan, warning of US threats. Photo: X.
US President Donald Trump has identified India, Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan among 23 nations designated as “major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries,” citing the threat their narcotics and precursor chemical production pose to the safety of the United States and its citizens.
In a Presidential Determination submitted to Congress on Monday, Trump said the so-called “Major’s List” highlights countries that serve as primary sources or critical transit points for illegal drugs entering the US.
The full list includes Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
The White House clarified that these designations are based on a combination of geographic, commercial, and economic factors that make drug production or transit possible, even in countries that have implemented “robust and diligent narcotics control and law enforcement measures.”
The State Department stressed that being named on the list does not automatically indicate a lack of cooperation with the United States.
Trump singled out five nations – Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, and Venezuela – as having “failed demonstrably” over the past 12 months to meet international counternarcotics obligations.
On Afghanistan, Trump dismissed the Taliban’s widely publicized drug ban, noting that stockpiles and ongoing methamphetamine production continue to sustain international markets and fund terrorism.
“Some members of the Taliban continue to profit from this trade, and I am once again designating Afghanistan as having failed demonstrably to uphold its drug control obligations,” he said.
In Colombia, Trump accused President Gustavo Petro’s administration of presiding over record-high coca cultivation and cocaine output, asserting that political leadership has undermined years of joint anti-narcotics efforts.
Trump described Venezuela as a continued hub of cocaine trafficking under Nicolás Maduro’s “criminal regime.”
Trump also directed strong criticism at China, calling it the “world’s largest source” of precursor chemicals used in fentanyl production. He said Beijing’s failure to curb exports of these chemicals has fueled a surge in fentanyl trafficking through Mexico into the US.
“The Chinese leadership can and must take stronger and sustained action to cut down these chemical flows and prosecute the drug criminals facilitating them,” Trump said. He added that China is also a key supplier of other synthetic narcotics, including nitazenes and methamphetamine.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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