RELEASE: Crapo, Moody Target Fentanyl Pill Presses in New Legislation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 2026

CONTACT:
Kyra Smith (Crapo)

Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) teamed up with U.S. Senator Ashley Moody (R-Florida) to introduce legislation targeting equipment used by drug cartels to manufacture counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, which is responsible for killing thousands of Americans each year. S. 4446, the PRESS Act, would criminalize the intentional importation of pill press machines and unlisted precursor chemicals to manufacture illicit drugs.

“Drug trafficking poses a grave threat to our national security and the safety of the American people,” said Crapo. “Our laws must keep pace with the evolving tactics used by criminal organizations to manufacture and distribute illicit synthetic drugs. The PRESS Act would strengthen law enforcement’s ability to hold foreign actors accountable for importing precursor chemicals and pill presses intended for the production and distribution of illegal controlled substances.”

Background:

• Pill press machines are often imported into the United States by drug cartels piecemeal and then assembled domestically to produce counterfeit pills that are sold to Americans and often laced with deadly fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
• The PRESS Act would give federal prosecutors the tools needed to charge foreign entities that import unlisted precursor chemicals and pill press machines with the intent to manufacture illicit drugs.
• The bill would add criminal penalties for the unlawful importation of pill presses.
• In 2025, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized more than 45 million fentanyl pills and more than 9,000 pounds of fentanyl powder, removing an estimated 347 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl from our communities.
• DEA intelligence indicates a shift in cartel operations, with increased trafficking of fentanyl powder and domestic production of fentanyl pills.
• Counterfeit pills are pressed to look like legitimate prescription opioids using imported tableting machines, punches and die molds. These tabletop pill press machines can produce up to 5,000 pills per hour, with larger floor models producing 15,000 pills per hour.
• China and Central American cartels skillfully smuggle pill press parts through U.S. ports and customs, often labeling them as “furniture parts” or “machine spare parts.” These parts are then reassembled as unregistered pill presses and used to mass produce counterfeit pills.

About Mike Crapo

Senator Mike Crapo has represented Idaho in the Senate since 1999, following three terms in the U.S. House and eight years in the Idaho State Senate. A lifelong Idahoan, he currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

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