US files charges against four Chinese firms, 8 executives for fentanyl production

The United States Justice Department on Friday (June 23) slapped criminal charges against four Chinese chemical manufacturing companies and eight individuals. Allegations against these companies and individuals are that they illegally trafficked chemicals which are used to make fentanyl, a highly addictive painkillermainlyresponsible for the opioid crisis in the US.

The indictment represents the first time the US has gone ahead to prosecute Chinese companies for making precursor chemicals that are used to make the highly addictive painkiller being misused as a drug.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China earlier this week. He made clear that the US needs much greater cooperation from China to stem the flow of fentanyl.

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During Blinken's visit, China and the US agreed to stabilise their rivalry so that an unintended conflict does not occur. But the visit failed to produce any major breakthrough. The diplomatic strain between the two countries reapeared when US President Joe Biden regarded Chinese President Xi Jinping as a 'dictator'.

The companies in the focus of the three separate indictments face allegations that they sold the precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico which has funnelled the drug into the US.

Prosecutors have said that these companies publishedadvertisements of the precursor chemicals on social media platforms in Mexico and the United States and they made use of fake customs forms and mislabelled packages in order to ship the precursor chemicals by boat and air.

"These companies and their employees knowingly conspired to manufacture deadly fentanyl for distribution in the United States," said US Attorney General Merrick Garland.

"Just one of these China-based chemical companies shipped more than 200 kg of fentanyl-related precursor chemicals to the US for the purpose of making 50 kgfentanyl, a quantity that could contain enough deadly doses of fentanyl to kill 25 million Americans," he said further.

Charged in three separate cases filed in federal court in New York were against Hubei Amarvel Biotech Co, Anhui Rencheng Technology Co, Anhui Moker New Material Technology Co, and Hefei GSK Trade Co.

The eight individuals who have been charged include executives and employees of the four companies.

(With inputs from agencies)

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