SUMMARY
- The U.S. Justice Department has filed criminal charges against four Chinese chemical companies and eight individuals over their alleged involvement in the illegal trafficking of chemicals used to make fentanyl.
- This marks the first time that Chinese companies have been prosecuted for manufacturing precursor chemicals used in the production of this highly addictive painkiller.
- Despite tensions between the U.S. and China, these actions underscore the U.S.'s commitment to combating the opioid crisis.
A groundbreaking event in the fight against the opioid crisis unfolded on Friday, with the U.S. Justice Department indicting four Chinese chemical firms and eight individuals. The indictment charges them with illicit trade of chemicals used in the production of fentanyl, a dangerously addictive painkiller that's stoking the fire of the opioid crisis in America.
This is an unprecedented move, marking the first time U.S. authorities have attempted to prosecute Chinese enterprises accused of producing and selling the raw materials used to concoct the deadly painkiller.
Saturday saw China’s foreign ministry react with displeasure to these indictments, calling for an end to the U.S. practice of using fentanyl-related claims to impose sanctions and legal actions against Chinese entities and individuals. They also demanded immediate liberation of the “unlawfully detained” Chinese citizens.
This legal action comes hot on the heels of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's maiden visit to China in five years. Blinken expressed Washington's need for stronger cooperation from China in curbing the fentanyl scourge. Despite agreeing to ease the intense rivalry, no substantial breakthrough materialized, and the relationship soured once more after President Biden labeled Chinese leader Xi Jinping a dictator.
The accused companies, subject to three separate indictments, allegedly sold precursor chemicals to Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, a notorious gang that has deluged the U.S. with fentanyl. Among the accused is China's Hubei Amarvel Biotech and its executives, who face a slew of charges, including fentanyl trafficking, precursor chemical importation, and money laundering offenses.
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