An investigation conducted by the Daily Caller has revealed that Chinese drug manufacturers, allegedly represented by accounts on LinkedIn, are using provocative images of women to advertise narcotics and fentanyl precursors on U.S. social media platforms. The exclusive report was published by Philip Lenczycki, an investigative reporter for the Daily Caller, on December 14.
The investigation identified numerous LinkedIn accounts claiming to be saleswomen for China-based manufacturers, featuring advertisements for controlled substances. These accounts used provocative images of women as a form of clickbait. Following the review, LinkedIn promptly removed the flagged accounts. However, their official connection to Chinese manufacturers remains unclear, according to Lenczycki.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) identifies fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, as a major contributor to U.S. overdose deaths and China as the primary source of fentanyl and its precursors. "Chinese drug traffickers are successfully taking advantage of deliberate American policy weakness on both fronts [physical and virtual] with regard to fentanyl precursors and the products they become in the U.S.," Steve Yates, America First Policy Institute senior fellow and China Policy Initiative chair, told the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF). Yates described it as "the single most significant foreign attack on the American family in history."
Lenczycki's investigation also revealed that the LinkedIn ads featured numeric identifiers for chemicals including those indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for trafficking fentanyl precursors. Measures taken to combat this issue include President Biden's administration focusing on counternarcotics cooperation with China and emphasizing reducing precursor chemicals fueling illicit fentanyl and synthetic drug trafficking. The intricate supply chain involves various routes from China to the U.S., often exploiting lax border security and involving Mexican drug cartels. Lenczycki urged immediate action towards securing the border to disrupt illicit chemical supply chains and initiate comprehensive measures against those responsible. He emphasized the severity of the situation by describing it as a "weapon of mass destruction" impacting American families.
In February, Lenczycki appeared on the Federal Newswire China Desk Podcast. He discussed how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has infiltrated many sectors of the American economy, businesses, and state security departments. He described the CCP as "a hostile force," adding, "they are vicious, and we should be extremely concerned about what they're capable of doing to us, in light of the fact of what they are routinely doing to their own people."
