United States: The United States has imposed a series of indictments and sanctions against Chinese companies for importing the chemicals used to make the highly addictive drug fentanyl.
The actions include charges against Chinese companies and executives accused of advertising, manufacturing, and distributing precursor chemicals for synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. According to US officials, the move comes as the latest effort in their fight against the deadliest overdose crisis in US history.
The charges and sanctions, brought by the US Attorney’s Offices in Florida and the federal Treasury Department, were strongly condemned by China.
“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,” US Attorney General Mr. 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,” Mr. Garland added.
Prosecutors accused some of the Chinese chemical manufacturing companies of using fake labels and other mechanisms when shipping the illegal substances to the US to avoid detection.
Mr. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, DC, commented that the Chinese government took a firm stance on counter-narcotics and accused the US of “scapegoating” China and undermining China-US anti-drug cooperation.
The announcement about sanctions came the day before Mr. Garland and other senior officials were due to travel to Mexico, where fentanyl trafficking is expected to be a major subject of discussion.
According to data from the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC), more than 100,000 people died from drug overdose deaths in the US in 2022, including an estimated 82,998 opioid-involved drug overdose deaths.
According to reports, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against 28 people and companies, mostly in China but also in Canada. The sanctions will cut them off from the US financial system and prohibit anyone in the country from doing business with them.
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