Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wants the U.S. to strengthen its borders to battle the "greatest drug war in history" and hold China accountable for flooding the country "with poisonous drugs that are killing Americans by the thousands," he told narcotics officers Monday, according to The Washington Free Beacon.

"Pundits and politicians have proposed all kinds of theories to explain this 'American carnage,' to borrow a phrase," Cotton said, referring to the opioid crisis in America. "They speculate that the drug epidemic was caused by economic hardship, or loneliness, or despair. There is probably some truth to these theories, yet they fail to explain the magnitude of the crisis. Something else is at play."

Cotton, who was making an appearance before the National Narcotics Officers Association Coalition, said the Colombian and Mexican cartels were at fault but emphasized "the precursors trace back to China, the real source of our fentanyl problem."

"For years, China has flooded our country with poisonous drugs that are killing Americans by the thousands," Cotton said. "I'm hardly exaggerating to say that China is waging an opium war in reverse. It's time to put a stop to it, and make China pay."