The Office of Public Affairs for the Department of Justice released a video of Attorney General Merrick Garland who said they had unsealed eight indictments for crimes related to opioid distribution and production on Chinese companies based in Florida. Attorney General Garland made the announcement on October 3rd.
According to the Office of Public Affairs for the DOJ, AG Garland said, "We know that this global fentanyl supply chain which ends with the deaths of Americans often starts with chemical companies in China." Garland mentioned fentanyl is the deadliest drug in America and the smallest amount can be a lethal dose. Garland said the DOJ recently charged 23 Sinaloa Cartel members for facilitating "the largest, most violent and most prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world." In the video, AG Garland announced the first ever charges of chemical companies based in China for their contributions to trafficking fentanyl into the United States.
CBS News reported the DOJ charged twelve individuals and eight Chinese companies. These Chinese companies produce the necessary chemicals for fentanyl production and then sell them to crime syndicates, usually Mexican drug cartels. Some tactics used by the defendants included: using fake shipping labels, postage stamps and fraudulent invoices to get past customs. "Effective immediately, these individuals and entities, located in the People's Republic of China and in Canada, are cut off from using the U.S. financial system and all U.S. persons are barred from transacting with them," Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said.
According to CBS News, one defendant is accused of leading a Chinese criminal drug trafficking organization that is linked to Hanhong Medicine Technology Company, a pharmaceutical firm in Wuhan, China, which allegedly produces and distributes significant quantities of fentanyl and other drug precursors globally. The organization frequently avoids detection by altering the chemical composition of precursors. Attorney General Garland and Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas are traveling to Mexico to address the fentanyl crisis with Mexican law enforcement officials. In 2022, over 82,000 Americans died due to fentanyl, with seizures of fentanyl pills and powder by law enforcement agencies continuing to rise.
