V.I. Attorney General Joins 40-State Coalition Pushing Congress to Crack Down on Deadly Street Drug “Tranq”

Virgin Islands Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea has signed onto a bipartisan letter from more than 40 attorneys general urging Congress to pass the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act. The legislation would classify xylazine — a veterinary tranquilizer known on the street as “tranq” — as a federally controlled substance, giving law enforcement new tools to track and combat a drug that has been increasingly mixed with fentanyl and other opioids, fueling a rise in overdose deaths nationwide.

Xylazine is designed for use on large animals like horses and deer and is not approved for human consumption. Unlike opioids, it does not respond to the overdose reversal drug naloxone, making it especially lethal when laced into street drugs. The proposed law would empower the DEA to monitor xylazine manufacturing, prevent diversion into illegal channels, and require public reporting. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the bill last week with bipartisan support.

“Classifying it as a controlled substance will give law enforcement critical tools to track, prevent, and combat its spread,” AG Rhea said. The coalition letter, led by the attorneys general of New York, Arkansas, Connecticut, and Tennessee, calls on Congress to act immediately.

This article is based on a press release issued by the Virgin Islands Department of Justice on April 1, 2026.