The Department of Justice announced charges against eight China-based companies and 12 Chinese nationals who were caught smuggling fentanyl chemicals into the U.S.
This week, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco addressed the situation, explaining that the companies and individuals are being accused of “trying to ship into the United States gallon after gallon of chemicals used to make fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other deadly drugs.”
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According to Monaco, as part of the investigation, Drug Enforcement Agency agents posed as drug traffickers to identify the criminals. While the Department of Homeland Security worked to trace and stop the shipments, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service uncovered the blockchain transactions. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that the DOJ knows that much of the global fentanyl supply chain starts with chemical companies in China.
A DOJ press release highlighted the dangers of many companies creating fentanyl precursor chemicals and “openly” advertising online. Once drug cartels and traffickers order the chemicals, they are shipped worldwide.
“These China-based chemical companies often attempt to evade law enforcement by using re-shippers in the United States, false return labels, false invoices, fraudulent postage, and packaging that conceals the true contents of the parcels and the identity of the distributors. In addition, these companies tend to use cryptocurrency transactions to conceal their identities and the location and movement of their funds,” Monaco said.
Being the deadliest drug threat the U.S. has ever faced, just two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal to an adult. It is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more than morphine.
“We know that the global fentanyl supply chain, which ends with the deaths of Americans, often starts with chemical companies in China,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said. “The United States government is focused on breaking apart every link in that chain, getting fentanyl out of our communities, and bringing those who put it there to justice.”