The FBI conducted an operation in Ohio that led to the seizure of a significant amount of fentanyl smuggled into the country.
Operation Box Cutter led to the indictments of 22 Chinese nationals, four Chinese pharmaceutical companies, and three U.S. citizens, the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. They identified an Ohio man as the “main supplier” to fentanyl traffickers in the southern part of the state.
FBI Director Kash Patel spoke about his agency’s efforts and the significant amount of fentanyl seized as a result.
“Today’s announcement marks a first-of-its-kind international operation for the FBI targeting the fentanyl plague that has killed tens of thousands of Americans and indicting the companies and individuals in mainland China that manufacture the precursor chemicals fueling the destruction of our communities,” said Patel. “This operation has already seized enough fentanyl powder to kill 70 million Americans and enough fentanyl pills to kill another 270,000. And we have now indicted the Chinese precursor companies and exposed the funding streams that facilitate this deadly trade.”
According to the DOJ, Ohio resident Eric Michael Payne provided fentanyl traffickers in southern Ohio with illegal cutting agents that he purchased from multiple Chinese companies that disguised themselves as “online pharmacies and legitimate chemical companies.” The product that was then illegally distributed contained dangerous animal tranquilizers that were “200 times more powerful than morphine.”
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“It is believed that the U.S. defendants purchased from the Chinese companies at least 10 kilograms of fentanyl cutting agents, which, in turn, could yield more than 150 kilograms of fentanyl mixture bound for street-level sales in southern Ohio,” read a release by the Justice Department.
The operation involved multiple money laundering schemes, often involving cryptocurrencies. The DOJ noted that Chinese nationals helped facilitate the transactions, with the funds going to the sham companies and the drug products sent to customers in the U.S.
“The companies allegedly used a series of Chinese foreign nationals located overseas to solicit, negotiate, and secure payments for illegal cutting agents from U.S. customers,” read the release. “It is alleged the foreign nationals generally directed U.S. customers to pay for the cutting agents using cryptocurrency transferred to crypto wallets under the foreign national’s control for ultimate deposit into financial institutions located overseas.”
Patel touted the success of Operation Box Cutter, acknowledging it targeted nefarious actors trying to harm people in the U.S. and continue the “fentanyl crisis.”
“Today’s takedown marks the FBI’s first-of-its-kind international operation targeting the fentanyl plague that has killed tens of thousands of Americans, indicting the companies and individuals in mainland China that manufacture the precursors fueling the destruction of our communities,” Patel said “We have indicted Chinese precursor companies and exposed their bank accounts and cryptocurrency pipelines, and funding sources that facilitate this deadly trade.”
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Attorney General Pam Bondi also commented on the FBI’s operation and subsequent indictments. She emphasized its importance and how it helped make the country safer. She also strongly warned that such efforts to stop “Chinese companies from shipping poison to our citizens.”
“Protecting Americans from fentanyl is one of this Department’s most important missions — and it starts with dismantling the international pipelines that bring deadly drugs and precursor to our shores,” said Bondi. “We will not rest until we stop Chinese companies from shipping poison to our citizens and bring everyone involved in this lethal trade to swift, complete justice.”