Justice Dept: China-Based Firms And Employees Used Crypto To Deliver Narcotics

It has been just revealed the fact that, according to the latest notes coming from Justice Dept., China-based firms and employees have been using crypto to deliver drugs. Check out the latest reports about the disturbing matter below.

The U.S. Department of Justice has taken action against several China-based companies and their employees for their involvement in the production and distribution of fentanyl and other drugs.

The Department noted that these illegal activities were often carried out with the use of cryptocurrency to conceal identities and funds.

On Tuesday, it was announced that certain Chinese companies and their workers were involved in the production and distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other synthetic opioids.

They were able to avoid law enforcement by using various tactics, such as employing re-shippers in the United States, utilizing false return labels, and concealing the true contents and distributors of their packages. Additionally, they often turned to cryptocurrency transactions to cover their identities and financial movements.

Authorities were able to seize 1,000 kilograms of “fentanyl-related precursor chemicals” and were also able to track packages containing these chemicals through the U.S. mail.

The manufacturers in China ship these precursor chemicals, opioid additives, and synthetic opioids globally, allowing drug cartels and others to mix these chemicals and distribute the resulting drugs in the United States.

“We know that the global fentanyl supply chain, which ends with the deaths of Americans, often starts with chemical companies in China,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, in a statement.

“The United States government is focused on breaking apart every link in that chain, getting fentanyl out of our communities, and bringing those who put it there to justice.”

It has been reported by the DOJ that fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 49.

Over the period of February 2022 to January, at least 105,263 Americans died from drug overdoses, with the majority of these involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl and fentanyl analogues.

Officials have been taking action against the use of cryptocurrency to distribute drugs, with the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control recently sanctioning a member of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel for using an Ethereum wallet to move funds connected to fentanyl smuggling into the U.S. Several U.S. lawmakers, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., have expressed concerns over the use of crypto in money laundering and drug trafficking.

They introduced a bill in July to tighten money laundering and know-your-customer rules in order to bring crypto into compliance.