US takes action against 28 Chinese companies involved in international proliferation of fentanyl

The United States on Tuesday announced actions against 28 Chinese companies and individuals as part of President Joe Biden’s administration’s efforts to combat the trafficking of the dangerous drug fentanyl.

These actions included unsealing indictments and imposing sanctions on numerous targets. This move represents the most recent instance of Washington imposing sanctions on Chinese entities in connection with fentanyl, as the administration strives to reduce the importation of the drug.

The U.S. Treasury Department, in a statement, confirmed the imposition of sanctions on 28 individuals and entities involved in the global distribution of illicit drugs, which included a significant network based in China.

“We are here today to deliver a message on behalf of the United States government. We know who is responsible for poisoning the American people with fentanyl,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters.”We know that this global fentanyl supply chain, which ends with the deaths of Americans, often starts with chemical companies in China.”

The Justice Department also unsealed eight indictments charging eight China-based companies and 12 of their employees with crimes relating to fentanyl and methamphetamine production, distribution of synthetic opioids, and sales resulting from precursor chemicals.

None of the defendants has been arrested so far and the Chinese government did not work with U.S. authorities on the investigations, Garland said. China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The announcement came the day before Garland was due to travel to Mexico with other senior U.S. officials. Fentanyl trafficking is expected to be a major subject of discussion. U.S. prosecutors accused some of the chemical manufacturing companies of shipping chemicals used to make fentanyl to the U.S. using fake shipping labels and other mechanisms to avoid detection. Other shipments went to Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, prosecutors said.

The Treasury accused the China-based network of being responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine and MDMA precursors.

It said the network is capable of synthesizing multi-thousand-kilogram quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, MDMA precursors and other illicit chemicals. So-called fentanyl precursors are chemicals used to produce the powerful synthetic opioid that has fueled a rise in drug overdose deaths in the United States in recent years.

Also hit with sanctions were two entities and one person based in Canada. Tuesday’s sanctions action freezes any U.S. assets of those targeted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.

With inputs from Reuters.