2023-06-24 00:40:29
© Reuters. US: Government sues Chinese companies over allegations of trafficking in fentanyl ingredients
The US Department of Justice filed criminal charges on Friday against four Chinese companies and eight individuals for allegedly trafficking chemicals used to make the highly addictive pain reliever fentanyl into the United States and Mexico.
The three separate indictments unveiled in New York federal court represent the first lawsuits to accuse Chinese-based chemical companies and Chinese nationals of selling illegally. Federal prosecutors said the companies marketed the fentanyl precursors on their websites and social media accounts, advertised that they accepted payment in cryptocurrency and sent them to drug traffickers, including Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.
“When I announced in April that the Department of Justice had taken significant enforcement action against the Sinaloa Cartel, I promised that the Department of Justice would never forget the victims of the fentanyl epidemic,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a press release. . Garland said those actions include preventing Chinese chemical companies from “supplying cartels with the building blocks they need to manufacture deadly fentanyl”.
An indictment filed in federal court in Manhattan accuses Chinese chemical company Hubei Amarvel Biotech, as well as three company executives, of trafficking fentanyl, importing precursor chemicals and money laundering. Prosecutors said Amarvel Biotech used deceptive practices to evade authorities, such as advertising that it could disguise its products as dog food, nuts or motor oil to ensure “safe” delivery in the United States and Mexico. Source:
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