During President Trump's first year in office, 42,000 Americans died of drug overdoses linked to heroin, fentanyl and prescription opioids. After a minor decrease in 2018, deaths rose to a record 50,042 in 2019. That number will likely be even worse for 2020.

NPR's Brian Mann reports on the surge of synthetic fentanyl, especially in the western U.S.

And NPR's Emily Feng unveils a web of Chinese sellers exporting individual chemical components to produce fentanyl.

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Since 2019, the number of Americans killed by fentanyl has jumped 94 percent. Today on "Post Reports," we go inside Operation Sour Cream — and inside the pipeline bringing the deadly drug from Mexican labs to U.S. streets. </ ... Show More

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