DoJ files first-ever charges against Chinese fentanyl manufacturers accused of supplying Mexican cartels and fueling America’s deadly opioid crisis
- The U.S. government has charged four Chinese companies in the probe
- Prosecutors say the company trafficked the chemicals to make fentanyl
- Nearly all fentanyl precursors are manufactured and shipped from China, they said
Chinese chemical manufacturing companies have been deeply involved in trafficking the chemicals used to make the fentanyl that reaches the U.S., according to The Justice Department.
The U.S. government charged four Chinese companies, including Hubei Amarvel Biotech, and its executives Qingzhou Wang, 35, Yiyi Chen, 31, and Fnu Lnu with fentanyl trafficking, precursor chemical importation, and money laundering offenses.
The indictments mark the first time the United States has sought to prosecute any of the Chinese companies responsible for manufacturing the precursor chemicals used to make the highly addictive painkiller that has fueled the opioid crisis in America.
During a press conference on Friday, prosecutors said nearly all fentanyl precursors are manufactured and shipped from China today.
Criminal organizations like the infamous Sinaloa cartel work with Chinese companies to get their ingredients for fentanyl.
The U.S. government charged four Chinese companies, including Hubei Amarvel Biotech. Attorney general Merrick Garland pictured above
Wang and Chen were arrested by the federal agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on June 8 and ordered detained by a federal magistrate judge in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 9 until they can be transported to New York City to appear before the judge handling the case.
Yang remains at large.
Prosecutors say the defendants ‘provided customers with the blueprint for making fentanyl,’ providing chemicals and advice on how to mix them.
In one case, a defendant even allegedly told a customer to substitute one ingredient for another to make twice as much fentanyl.
