War on fentanyl: the federal government files charges against Chinese companies and executives for providing chemicals for drug production

The federal government has launched an offensive against fentanyl producers and this time it´s main target is China. The Department of Justice announced this Tuesday that criminal charges are being filed from two judicial districts in Florida against Chinese companies and their executives in relation to the production and distribution of drugs in the United States.

It is the second battery that the Government has launched against those responsible for the fentanyl epidemic since June. The objective is to punish those Chinese industrialists who exported chemicals under false pretences to Mexico, only to later convert them into fentanyl and other opioids. Along with a statement, the DOJ published the list of all indicted executives and their charges. They are mostly Chinese businessmen with responsibility in chemical and pharmaceutical companies.

Treasury Sanctions

Along with the charges from the Department of Justice, there are also the measures taken on Tuesday by the Treasury Department, which designated 28 individuals and international companies as responsible for the production of fentanyl that reaches the United States. In total there are 12 entities and 13 individuals located in China, along with two institutions and one more person in Canada who are the subject of the Treasury designations. The designations are about special sanctions against the assets of the targets.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is also working alongside Treasury and the DOJ in this latest effort against the international fentanyl and opioid production and distribution scheme. Together with Attorney General Merrick Garland, Mayorkas will travel to Mexico this Wednesday to discuss with his counterparts new measures in the fight against drugs.

“The charges announced today are another down payment on the Justice Department’s pledge to every American family that has lost a loved one to fentanyl poisoning,”said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Just as we did in the fight against terrorists and cybercriminals, we are deploying a whole-of-government approach – sharing intelligence, combining resources, and relentlessly pursuing justice – to attack the global supply chain fueling the fentanyl crisis. We will not rest until we have rid our communities of this poison.”

Infiltrators in the fentanyl cartels

According to the DOJ, the indictments were possible thanks to the work of agents from the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). The undercover agents ordered chemicals from sellers in China over the Internet. Sellers claimed to have the ability to evade product detection through the use of false shipping labels and deceptive delivery procedures.

The agents, according to the DOJ, were even able to negotiate with the Chinese businessman and receive recommendations about which products were the best and which tend to be the best sellers to Mexican drug cartels. When the agents placed the order, the Chinese company sent 300 grams of xylazine and 43 kilograms of fentanyl precursors to the United States.

The agents received the merchandise without problems. With what was received, 72 kilograms of fentanyl could have been produced. Enough for 15 million doses, each potentially fatal.