08/22/2018
2 Chinese nationals charged with operating global opioid conspiracy resulting in deaths
CLEVELAND – While in Cleveland, Ohio, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Wednesday the unsealing of a 43-count indictment in federal court in Cleveland, which charges two Chinese citizens with operating a conspiracy that manufactured and shipped deadly fentanyl analogues and 250 other drugs to at least 25 countries and 37 states. The indictment also alleges the drugs sold by the group directly led to the fatal overdoses of two people in Akron, Ohio. The charges follow a joint investigation, which included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Fujing Zheng, aka Gordon Jin, 35, and his father Guanghua Zheng, 62, both of whom reside in Shanghai, China, are charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to import controlled substances into the United States, operating a continued criminal enterprise, money laundering and other crimes. The charges carry a potential sentence of life imprisonment because the drugs involved resulted in death, and the defendants’ conduct qualifies for an enhancement under the kingpin statute.
https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/2-chinese-nationals-charged-operating-global-opioid-conspiracy-resulting-deaths
