The U.S. on Tuesday announced actions against Chinese companies and people as President Joe Biden’s administration targets trafficking of the deadly drug fentanyl, unsealing indictments and imposing sanctions on dozens of targets.
“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.”
U.S. sanctions against China
The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on 28 people and entities involved with the international proliferation of illicit drugs, including a large China-based network.
U.S. sanctions against China for fentanyl is the latest targets by the administration seeking to stem imports of the drug.
Other indictments for Chinese companies
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 on fentanyl supply accusation
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, said U.S. sanctions against China is strongly condemned. He added that the Chinese government takes a firm stance on counter-narcotics like fentanyl.
“The U.S., however, in disregard of China’s goodwill, has been scapegoating China through the tactics of sanctioning, smear and slander. This has seriously eroded the foundation of China-U.S. cooperation on counter-narcotics,” Liu said.
America on fentanyl from China
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his visit to China in June, said he made clear Washington needs much greater cooperation from China on stemming the flow of fentanyl supply and that the sides had agreed to explore setting up a working group on the matter.
Tuesday’s announcement of U.S. sanctions against China 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.
Why the sanctions?
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, and 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 U.S. States in recent years.
Tuesday’s sanctions action freezes any U.S. assets of those targeted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.
Sanctions also hit on two other entities and one person based out of Canada.
