China touts crackdown on fentanyl; drug-ring members sentenced

Authorities arrest 20, shut two online shops selling opioid.

Chinese authorities

BEIJING — on Thursday handed severe sentences to members of a fentanyl production ring in an overt show of commitment toward tackling an issue at the heart of President Donald Trump’s criticisms of China.

Central government officials invited foreign media to a court in northern Hebei Province where officials announced the arrest of 20 people and the closure of two online shops selling the synthetic opioid, which U.S. public health officials say is responsible for killing more Americans in overdoses than any other drug.

The timing of the highly publicized sentencing appeared propitious: Negotiators from Washington and Beijing this week are working toward a “phase one” trade deal that could forestall or reverse tariff increases.

Chinese police, working from a tip from the Department of Homeland Security, discovered the drug ring’s processing plant and seized 26.2 pounds of fentanyl and 42.1 pounds of other substances, including alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax, Chinese officials said.

The court in Xingtai said one member of the ring named Liu Yong would receive a death sentence, suspended for two years, while two others would get life in prison. Six others received six months’ to 10 years’ imprisonment. The Chinese government followed up with a statement that touted “China’s willingness to sincerely and concretely cooperate” with the United States on drug enforcement.

The Chinese statement called the case “an excellent paragon of U.S.-China drug enforcement collectively combating fentanyl” and said China would continue to contribute its “experience ... wisdom and power” to the worldwide fight against drugs.

A representative from U.S. Immigration and Drug Enforcement told reporters that the initial tip came in August 2017 from Homeland Security investigators in New Orleans who interviewed a cooperating defendant. They passed the information on to Chinese authorities, who agreed to a joint investigation and sting operation that yielded “an extraordinary number of arrests and seizures of contraband.”

“As the success of this joint investigation demonstrates, Chinese and American investigators have the capacity to collaborate across international borders,” Austin Moore, an ICE attache in the Beijing embassy, told reporters. “Today’s event is another important step.”