WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2023) The US Justice Department on Friday announced in a press release charges against four China-based firms and eight employees for crimes related to alleged illicit trafficking of fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States.
"The Justice Department today announced the arrest of two individuals and the unsealing of three indictments in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York charging China-based companies and their employees with crimes related to fentanyl production, distribution, and sales resulting from precursor chemicals," the release said. "Specifically, the indictments allege the defendants knowingly manufactured, marketed, sold, and supplied precursor chemicals for fentanyl production in the United States in violation of Federal law."
The indictments are the first US prosecutions to charge China-based chemical manufacturing companies and Chinese nationals for trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States, the release said.
An indictment was unsealed in the Southern District of New York charging the China-based chemical company Amarvel Biotech as well as its executives and employees Qingzhou Wang, Yiyi Chen, Fnu Lnu and Anita Yang with fentanyl trafficking, precursor chemical importation, and money laundering offenses.
On June 8, Wang and Chen, both Chinese nationals, were expelled from Fiji and arrested by the US Drug Enforcement Agency, then made an initial appearance in federal court in Hawaii on June 9, according to the release. Yang, also a national of China, remains at large.
Two other indictments were unsealed in the Eastern District of New York over alleged criminal conspiracies by China-based companies and employees to manufacture and distribute fentanyl in the United States, the release said.
The first indictment charges the firms Anhui Rencheng Technology Co. Ltd., Anhui Moker New Material Technology Co., and defendants Shutong Wang and Shifang Ruan with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, manufacture of fentanyl, and other related offenses, the release said.
Moreover, the release said the indictment charges those same defendants, as well as Xinyu Zhao and Yue Gao, with illegally concealing their activities, including through customs fraud and introducing misbranded drugs into the US marketplace. The indictment also charges Rencheng, Wang, and Ruan with conspiracy to distribute butonitazene, a controlled substance, the release added.
The second indictment charges the companies Hefei GSK Trade Co. Ltd, and Hebei Sinaloa Trading Co. Ltd., and Ruiqing Li with similar offenses, according to the release.
