A Feb. 1 report from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said China is the main supplier of fentanyl to the U.S. and to Mexico.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is similar to morphine and can be 50 to 100 times more powerful, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

Carolyn Bartholomew is chairman of the U.S.-China Economic and Securities Review Commission.

“When China sends these illicit fentanyl and fentanyl precursors into Mexico, they are then smuggled across the border into Arizona, New Mexico and Texas,” Bartholomew said.

U.S. law enforcement seized 368 pounds of fentanyl and precursor chemicals used to manufacture the drug in 2015.

China was the primary source. The commission expects fentanyl supply in 2016 to increase.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Coast Guard report 5,000 pharmaceutical and 160,000 chemical manufacturing facilities in China, with multiple distribution channels across the U.S., and Mexico, including Arizona.

Because of China's muddled regulatory environment, China has little incentive or ability to crack down on smuggling, the Commission's report said.

“A lot of this product is coming in directly to individuals and distributors. It’s being mailed in, it’s being shipped in ... so, even if the Chinese government wanted to cut down, crack down on this, it is unclear they actually have the staffing to do that,” Bartholomew said.

The DEA's 2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary reports 1,200 opioid deaths in Arizona. The Commission expects 2016 numbers to increase.