A Chinese national has been indicted as part of an elaborate fentanyl ingredients case.
Minsu Fang, who also went by the moniker Fernando, was embroiled in the largest-ever fentanyl precursor smuggling case in the history of the Southern District of Texas.
“We charged this defendant for importing enough fentanyl precursor chemicals from China to kill millions of Americans,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat the United States has ever faced, and the Justice Department is committed to breaking apart every link in the global fentanyl supply chain.”
Chinese national indicted for smuggling involvement
Fang, according to the Justice Department, was allegedly complicit in the transportation and importation of drug ingredients. The drug in the limelight is the highly addictive and dangerous fentanyl.
The chemicals were reportedly shipped from China to the United States and, finally, Mexico. According to the regulators, this happened over 100 times from August to October 2023.
Fang and the illegal importers’ cabal allegedly bypassed customs and law enforcement by secretly shipping ingredients along with other items. They declared that the ingredients were worth under $800 to customs officials.
“Fang allegedly imported over 2,000 kilograms of raw materials from China destined for various places in Mexico used in the manufacture of fentanyl,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas.
According to the unsealed indictment, the group avoided any in-depth inspection by customs officials and could move the drug ingredients undetected at that time. They would end up in Mexico.
Fang faces a multitude of drug charges, including a four-count indictment with “conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance for the purpose of unlawful importation, conspiracy to import a controlled substance, and conspiracy to export a controlled substance,” according to the report.
Hamdani concluded, “This historic seizure represents a multi-agency collaboration that prevented the production of millions upon millions of deadly doses of fentanyl-laced pills.”
Image: Pixlr.
