FBI Indicts 22 Chinese, 3 Americans, 4 Companies in Global Fentanyl Crackdown

The FBI announced the results of Operation Box Cutter, an unprecedented international law enforcement effort targeting the fentanyl supply chain originating from China. The operation led to the indictment of 22 Chinese nationals, four China-based chemical companies posing as legitimate pharmaceutical businesses, and three Americans involved in importing and distributing fentanyl precursors. Authorities seized enough fentanyl powder to kill approximately 70 million Americans and fentanyl pills sufficient to kill another 270,000. U.S. officials highlighted how these chemical companies knowingly marketed and exported substances used to manufacture fentanyl and other narcotics, fueling the opioid crisis in the United States. The American defendants, including Eric Michael Payne and his associates, are accused of facilitating imports and cryptocurrency payments linked to the fentanyl trade. FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized that this first-of-its-kind operation aims to dismantle the entire fentanyl pipeline and hold all involved parties accountable to combat the ongoing public health crisis.