Chinese firms indicted for manufacturing Fentanyl in the United States

June 27, 2023 Rob Abruzzese

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of NY Breon Peace. AP Photo/John Minchillo

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Brooklyn federal prosecutors have unveiled a pair of indictments against Chinese chemical companies and their employees, in one of the first legal actions of its kind.

These firms stand accused of manufacturing and distributing fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, on American soil. The entities named in these indictments are Anhui Rencheng Technology Co., Anhui Moker New Material Technology Co., Hefei GSK Trade Co., and several associated individuals.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace, and other law enforcement leaders announced the charges. The accused entities are alleged to have knowingly supplied Mexican cartels with the raw materials necessary to produce fentanyl, subsequently distributed throughout the United States.

“This prosecution shows that the companies and individuals who fuel our nation’s deadly opioid epidemic — wherever they are located — will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Peace.

Attorney General Garland underscored the Justice Department’s unrelenting commitment to holding accountable those responsible for the fentanyl epidemic, including “the Chinese chemical companies that are supplying the cartels with the building blocks they need to manufacture deadly fentanyl.”

The accused are believed to have masked their illicit activities by using various deceptive practices, such as mislabeling packages, falsifying customs forms, and making false declarations at border crossings. The chemicals distributed by these firms included all materials necessary to manufacture fentanyl via common pathways.

“These companies and individuals are alleged to have knowingly supplied drug traffickers, in the United States and Mexico, with the ingredients and scientific know-how needed to make fentanyl — a drug that continues to devastate families and communities across the United States, killing Americans from all walks of life,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco.

The powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance and is around 50 times more potent than heroin. Its misuse has led to one of the deadliest drug crises the United States has ever experienced.