The U.S. Department of Justice возбудило criminal charges against eight China-based companies and their 14 employees for distributing drugs using digital assets.
«We know that the global supply of fentanyl, which ends in American deaths, starts with chemical companies in China», said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
According to authorities, the firms are suspected of manufacturing fentanyl and methamphetamine, distributing synthetic opioids, and selling chemical precursors.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury has already added 28 individuals and entities connected to these crimes to sanctions lists.
Authorities found that the chain of supply for Chinese drugs ends in the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida. Some of the prohibited substances were mailed directly using intermediaries, counterfeit labels, and forged declarations.
«These companies typically use cryptocurrency transactions to conceal their identities as well as the location and movement of funds», the Justice Department emphasized.
The primary fentanyl suppliers in the United States are the Sinaloa Cartels and the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel. Derivative precursors for making the substances are ordered from China by organized crime groups, authorities added.
The investigation involved multiple government agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Earlier, Elliptic described the scheme of fentanyl shipments from the PRC for cryptocurrency. According to analysts, Chinese suppliers of the synthetic opioid hold more than $32 million in wallets.