Grand Jury Indicts Three U.S. Citizens, 22 Chinese Nationals in Drug Trafficking
8 hours ago
- #fentanyl
- #money-laundering
- #drug-trafficking
- The Justice Department announced charges against dozens of defendants, including Chinese nationals and companies, for narcotics and money laundering conspiracies involving illegal cutting agents.
- Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized the mission to protect Americans from fentanyl by dismantling international drug pipelines.
- U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II stated that Chinese companies knowingly supplied substances to increase fentanyl potency in the U.S.
- FBI Director Kash Patel highlighted the operation's success in seizing fentanyl and indicting Chinese precursor companies.
- Eric Michael Payne, a main supplier, allegedly purchased cutting agents from Chinese companies, leading to significant fentanyl mixtures in Ohio.
- Payne's associates, Auriyon Tresan Rayford and Ciandrea Bryne Davis, allegedly assisted in transferring cryptocurrency payments to Chinese nationals.
- All defendants face charges of conspiring to distribute fentanyl and launder money internationally.
- The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Guangzhou Tengyue Chemical Company and its representatives.
- The indictment includes multiple Chinese companies and nationals accused of facilitating the illegal drug trade.