The US Treasury Department has filed charges against several Chinese individuals and companies for allegedly smuggling fentanyl-making substances into the US. The chemicals were exported from China to Mexico, processed into narcotics there and then transported to the USA. The networks were probably financed largely through cryptocurrencies. Several wallets were blocked. US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo spoke of an “important action in the fight against the global illegal drug trade”.
Crypto wallets blocked by drug traffickers
In total, a ton of so-called precursor substances, from which the drug fentanyl is produced, among other things, was confiscated. Most of the substances are said to have been shipped to Mexico by Chinese chemical companies and then brought to the US market by drug cartels. The chemicals were sent and tracked via post. The companies are said to have openly advertised the substances on the Internet and used fake franking to conceal them.
The network apparently also financed itself with cryptocurrencies. According to Adeyemo “More than a dozen virtual wallets have been identified and blocked” into which “hundreds of deposits amounting to millions of dollars have flowed”. The companies “typically used cryptocurrency transactions” “to conceal their identity and the location and movement of their funds.”
The US Treasury Department accuses eight Chinese chemical companies and their employees of crimes related to the production of fentanyl and methamphetamine, the distribution of synthetic opioids and the sale of chemical precursors. A total of 28 people and facilities in the indictment called.
Fentanyl crisis in the USA
“We know that the global fentanyl supply chain that ends in the deaths of Americans often begins with chemical companies in China,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. Resources would be pooled to “smash every link in this chain.” U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg added that they will “continue to pursue cases against Chinese chemical companies that knowingly manufacture and export fentanyl precursors.”
With the highly addictive substance fentanyl, the USA is experiencing the worst drug crisis in history. Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49. From February 2022 to January, over 100,000 people died from overdoses, most of them from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and fentanyl analogues. The drugs are often diluted with other substances such as xylazine. A dose of just two milligrams can kill an adult.
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