title: U.S. Attorney Announces Fentanyl Trafficking, Precursor Importation, And Money Laundering Charges Against Chinese Chemical Company And Executives

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Merrick B. Garland, the Attorney General of the United States, Lisa O. Monaco, the Deputy Attorney General of the United States, and Anne Milgram, the Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging the Chinese chemical company HUBEI AMARVEL BIOTECH CO., LTD., a/k/a “AmarvelBio,” (“AMARVEL BIOTECH”) as well as its executives and employees QINGZHOU WANG, a/k/a “Bruce” (“WANG”), YIYI CHEN, a/k/a “Chiron” (“CHEN”), and FNU LNU, a/k/a “Er Yang,” a/k/a “Anita” (“YANG”), with fentanyl trafficking, precursor chemical importation, and money laundering offenses. WANG and CHEN, both nationals of China, were expelled from Fiji on June 8, 2023, arrested by the DEA, and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Wes Reber Porter in Honolulu federal court on June 9, 2023. WANG and CHEN were ordered detained in Honolulu and will appear in Manhattan federal court following their arrival in the Southern District of New York. YANG, also a national of China, is at large. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The indictment unsealed today in the Southern District of New York is the next step in our fight against fentanyl. Today, we target the very beginning of the fentanyl supply chain: the Chinese manufacturers of the raw chemicals used to make fentanyl and its analogues. We’ve charged a Chinese precursor chemical company. And that’s not all. We’ve charged and arrested some of the individuals who work at the company. That includes a corporate executive and a marketing manager. They’re in American handcuffs. And they’re going to face justice in an American courtroom.” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said: “ When I announced in April that the Justice Department had taken significant enforcement actions against the Sinaloa Cartel, I promised that the Justice Department would never forget the victims of the fentanyl epidemic. I also promised that we would never stop working to hold accountable those who bear responsibility for it. That includes not only going after the leaders of the Cartels, their drug and gun traffickers, their money launderers, security forces, and clandestine lab operators. It also includes stopping the Chinese chemical companies that are supplying the cartels with the building blocks they need to manufacture deadly fentanyl.” Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said: “Today’s announcement is a down payment on our pledge to use every tool in the government’s arsenal, in every corner of the globe, to protect American communities. The Justice Department will not rest or relent in investigating and prosecuting every link of the fentanyl supply chain, including the PRC companies and executives who produce and export vast quantities of the precursor chemicals the drug cartels need to peddle their poison. There can be no safe haven.” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said: “Today’s announcement is a considerable step forward in our unrelenting fight against fentanyl, targeting the threat where it starts. These companies and individuals are alleged to have knowingly supplied drug traffickers, in the United States and Mexico, with the ingredients and scientific know-how needed to make fentanyl – a drug that continues to devastate families and communities across the United States, killing Americans from all walks of life. The fentanyl supply chain begins in China, but tragically, it ends here. Targeting entire criminal drug networks, from the source of supply to the last mile of distribution, is critical to saving American lives. DEA will not stop until this crisis ends.” According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and other court filings: [1] AMARVEL BIOTECH is a chemical manufacturer based in the city of Wuhan in Hubei Province, China, that has exported vast quantities of the precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl and its analogues. A synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin, fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49. Fentanyl analogues, similar in chemical makeup and effect to fentanyl, can be even more potent and lethal than fentanyl. Fentanyl and its analogues have devastated communities across the United States and are fueling the ongoing opioid epidemic, which killed at least 105,263 Americans between February 2022 and January 2023 alone. AMARVEL BIOTECH has openly advertised online its shipment of fentanyl precursor chemicals to the United States and to Mexico, where drug cartels operate clandestine laboratories, synthesize finished fentanyl at scale, and distribute the deadly fentanyl into and throughout the United States. Through its website and a host of other storefront sites, AMARVEL BIOTECH has targeted precursor chemical customers in Mexico, including by advertising fentanyl precursors as a “Mexico hot sale”; guaranteeing “100% stealth shipping” abroad; and posting to its websites documentation of AMARVEL BIOTECH shipping chemicals to Culiacan, the home city of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the dominant drug trafficking organizations in the Western Hemisphere and which is largely responsible for the massive influx of fentanyl into the United States in recent years. AMARVEL BIOTECH has also endeavored to thwart law enforcement interdiction of its precursor chemical shipments. AMARVEL BIOTECH has advertised, for example, the company’s ability to use deceptive packaging — such as packaging indicating the contents are dog food, nuts, or motor oil — to ensure “safe” delivery to the United States and Mexico. Over the past eight months, during the course of an undercover investigation by the DEA, AMARVEL BIOTECH and its principal executive, WANG, its marketing manager, CHEN, and its sales representative, YANG, shipped more than 200 kilograms from China to the United States of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl and its analogues. AMARVEL BIOTECH, WANG, CHEN, and YANG shipped the precursors to the United States intending that the chemicals would be used to produce fentanyl and its analogues in New York, and they agreed to continue supplying multi-ton shipments of fentanyl precursors despite being told that Americans had died after consuming fentanyl made from the chemicals that the defendants had sold. For example, on or about November 17, 2022, a DEA confidential source (“CS-1”) wrote to YANG using an encrypted messaging application, “You know I making fentanyl,” and “Is not safe.” YANG replied, “i know.” On or about December 1, 2022, YANG wrote to CS-1, promising that CS-1 would be “happy with our product” and noting that CS-1 would “be able to synthesize fentanyl.” In exchange for payment in cryptocurrency, AMARVEL BIOTECH thereafter shipped from China to New York approximately 999.7 grams of the fentanyl precursor 1-boc-4-AP, approximately 1,002.6 grams of the fentanyl precursor 1-boc-4-piperidone, and approximately 893.6 grams of the methamphetamine precursor methylamine. In or about March 2023, WANG and CHEN met in person with an individual whom CS-1 represented was CS-1’s boss but was in fact another DEA confidential source (“CS-2”). During the meeting, WANG and CHEN discussed AMARVEL BIOTECH’s ability to supply ton-quantities of fentanyl precursors to New York for CS-1 and CS-2’s fentanyl manufacturing operation. After CS-2 stated that CS-2 wanted a different formula for manufacturing fentanyl and that several of CS-2’s American customers had purportedly died, WANG and CHEN advised they had “a lot of customers in America and Mexico” who could provide technical assistance with fentanyl production. After the March 2023 meeting, AMARVEL BIOTECH, WANG, CHEN, and YANG agreed to sell CS-1 and CS-2 approximately 210 kilograms of fentanyl precursors in exchange for payment in cryptocurrency. During an April 10, 2023, video call with WANG and CHEN, CS-2 stated that the approximately 210 kilograms of fentanyl precursors would be used to manufacture approximately 50 to 55 kilograms of fentanyl — an amount that could contain approximately 25 million deadly doses. In or about May 2023, AMARVEL BIOTECH, WANG, CHEN, and YANG sent to the United States the shipment ordered by CS-1 and CS-2. On or about May 5, 2023, the DEA retrieved the precursor shipment from a warehouse near Los Angeles, California. Lab testing confirmed the presence of a precursor chemical for a fentanyl analogue. In an encrypted messaging group chat with CS-1, CS-2, WANG, and CHEN, YANG explained that “New York, the United States, has been strict in checking the precursors of the ‘final product’ some time ago, so for the sake of safety, this time it is sent to California.” In or about June 2023, WANG and CHEN met again with CS-2. During the meeting, WANG and CHEN discussed with CS-2 a multi-ton order of fentanyl precursor chemicals. WANG and CHEN also discussed the need to take additional measures to protect themselves from detection and interdiction of their shipments “because recently American government . . . seized some Mexican group and they followed the routes to China,” where the U.S. Government found “our competitor in China” — an apparent reference to fentanyl-related charges filed in the Southern District of New York and announced in April 2023 against, among others, leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel and certain China-based precursor chemical company executives. [2] * * * A table containing the charges and minimum and maximum potential penalties for AMARVEL BIOTECH, a company in China; WANG, 35, of China; CHEN, 31, of China; and YANG, of China, is set forth below. The minimum and maximum potential penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge. Count Defendants Minimum and Maximum Penalties Count One: Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy AMARVEL BIOTECH, WANG, CHEN, and YANG Mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison; maximum sentence of life in prison Fine of the greatest of $50 million for organizations or $10 million for individuals, twice the gross pecuniary gain from the offense, or twice the gross pecuniary loss to others from the offense Count Two: Conspiracy to Import Fentanyl Precursor Chemical with Intent to Manufacture Fentanyl AMARVEL BIOTECH, WANG, CHEN, and YANG Maximum sentence of 20 years in prison Fine of the greatest of $500,000 for organizations or $250,000 for individuals, twice the gross pecuniary gain from the offense, or twice the gross pecuniary loss to others from the offense Count Three: Importation of Fentanyl Precursor Chemical with Intent to Manufacture Fentanyl AMARVEL BIOTECH, WANG, and YANG Maximum sentence of 20 years in prison Fine of the greatest of $500,000 for organizations or $250,000 for individuals, twice the gross pecuniary gain from the offense, or twice the gross pecuniary loss to others from the offense Count Four: Importation of Methamphetamine Precursor Chemical AMARVEL BIOTECH, WANG, and YANG Maximum sentence of 10 years in prison Fine of the greatest of $500,000 for organizations or $250,000 for individuals, twice the gross pecuniary gain from the offense, or twice the gross pecuniary loss to others from the offense Count Five: Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering AMARVEL BIOTECH, WANG, CHEN, and YANG Maximum sentence of 20 years in prison Fine of the greatest of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved in the laundering Mr. Williams praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit. Mr. Williams also thanked the DEA Bangkok Country Office, DEA Wellington Country Office, DEA Beijing Country Office, DEA Honolulu District Office, DEA New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) Strike Force, DEA Riverside District Office, DEA Special Testing Laboratory, the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, the Royal Thai Police Narcotics Suppression Bureau, the Fiji Police Force Narcotic Bureau, the Fiji Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii for their assistance. This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Sullivan and Alexander Li are in charge of the prosecution. The charges in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment and other court filings set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation. [2] United States v. Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, et al. , No. 23 Cr. 180 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 4, 2023). U.S. v. Amarvel Biotech et al Indictment


title: Coral Springs Man Charged with Operating $100 Million Ponzi Scheme Through His Trucking Company

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – Sanjay Singh, 43, of Coral Springs, Florida, has been charged in South Florida federal court with orchestrating a $100 million investment fraud ( Ponzi ) scheme run through his over-the-road trucking company, Royal Bengal Logistics, Inc. (“RBL”). The indictment alleges that Singh violated federal laws criminalizing conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and engaging in transactions in unlawful proceeds. According to the indictment, Singh, RBL’s founder and president, organized and ran a substantial Ponzi scheme with co-conspirators. The conspiracy began in January 2020 and was ongoing at the time of his arrest. Singh and his co-conspirators held RBL out to potential investors as a thriving and successful trucking business, all while RBL’s actual trucking business lost money. In the process, Singh and his co-conspirators made material misrepresentations and material omissions about the riskiness of investing in RBL, the profitability of RBL’s trucking operations, how RBL would pay its investors, and how RBL would use investor funds. Through these material misrepresentations and omissions, Singh and his co-conspirators raised over $100 million from investors, which Singh and his co-conspirators then used in part to pay existing investors promised returns. The indictment also alleges that Singh misappropriated millions of dollars of investor funds to renovate his home, make mortgage payments, pay for personal expenses, and trade stocks on margin. If convicted of all charges in the indictment, Singh faces a maximum penalty of 150 years’ imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Todd A. Damiani of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (“DOT-OIG”), Southern Region; and Russell Weigel III, Commissioner, Florida Office of Financial Regulation (“OFR”), made the announcement. U.S. Attorney Lapointe commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, DOT-OIG, and OFR in this matter. He thanked the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Miami Regional Office for their assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kiran N. Bhat is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon is handling asset forfeiture. An indictment contains mere allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. If you invested in RBL, are owed money by RBL, or had interactions with anyone at RBL about a potential investment, please visit https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/rblinvestors to provide relevant information to the FBI. You can also visit https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/rblinvestors-french to provide information in Haitian French, or https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/rblinvestors-haitian-creole to provide information in Haitian Creole. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-60117. ###


title: Concord, NC Man, Who Was Fugitive for 8 Years, Pleads Guilty to His Role in Heroin Conspiracy

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA —Corey Xavier Baldwin, a/k/a “Core,” a/k/a “James Cory,” a/k/a “Kenny Womack,” 53, of Concord, North Carolina, has pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute heroin. Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Baldwin was one of 10 defendants charged in April 2014, following a series of court-authorized, DEA-monitored wiretaps over several telephones in the Columbia area. Six of the 10 defendants were arrested in April 2014, while four remained fugitives, including Baldwin. Baldwin was arrested in September 2022 by the United States Marshals Service in Concord. Two other fugitives were arrested in 2017 in Texas, and one was arrested in May 2022 in Brooklyn, New York. The 2013 investigation revealed that a group of individuals in the Columbia area were obtaining heroin from various sources outside of South Carolina and then distributing it in the Midlands. Evidence indicated that the suppliers were initially getting the heroin in packages from India. Several packages destined for Columbia and containing heroin were intercepted by law enforcement during the investigation. Evidence further showed that the co-defendants later traveled to New York to obtain heroin and transported it back to Columbia where it was distributed. Baldwin, who came to Columbia in 2013 after serving time in Ohio for a 1994 aggravated murder conviction, was good friends with one of the leaders of the drug organization and assisted him by transporting money to New York during trips to obtain heroin. Baldwin also assisted in the distribution of heroin in the Columbia area. Nine of Baldwin’s co-defendants earlier pleaded guilty to their role in the drug conspiracy here in South Carolina and were sentenced as follows: Eric Shawn Bradley, of Columbia, was sentenced to 210 months in prison followed by 8 years of supervised release; Michael Glover, of Columbia, was sentenced to 324 months in prison followed by 8 years of supervised release; Jihad Salahadeen Pollard, of Columbia, was sentenced to 121 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release; Kenneth Crawford, Jr., of Washington, D.C., and formerly of Columbia, was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by 8 years of supervised release; Charles Raheem Bradley, of Columbia, was sentenced to 57 months in prison followed by 6 years of supervised release; Anthony Troy Glover, of Columbia, was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by 8 years of supervised release; Larry Grover Bookman, of Columbia, was sentenced to 70 months in prison followed by 6 years of supervised release; Jessany Lyons, of Far Rockaway, New York, was sentenced to 37 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release; and Dockim Deeshawn McKnight, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release. The New York heroin suppliers were charged and convicted by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York for their role in the drug conspiracy. Baldwin faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least 3 years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Baldwin after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the United States Probation Office. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) High Intensity Drug Task Force, which was comprised of agents and officers from the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Secret Service, Columbia Police Department, Richland County Sheriff’s Department, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office. The United States Marshals Service and the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force-Charlotte Office assisted in locating the four fugitives. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Myrtle Beach Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Tax Fraud and Theft of Veterans Affairs Benefits

body_text: FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA — Janice A. Livingston, 30, of Myrtle Beach, was sentenced to nearly 2 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to making and presenting a false claim to the IRS and theft of government property. Evidence presented to the Court showed that in 2020, Livingston submitted three false claims to the IRS for tax credit entitlements in the amount of $1,126,553.68 and submitted false documentation to receive individual unemployability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Livingston also made multiple false representations in applying for two Economic Injury Disaster Loans, which the Small Business Administration could provide to business owners negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III sentenced Livingston to 20 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Livingston was ordered to pay $183,406.01 in restitution. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . This case was investigated by the IRS and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hummel is prosecuting the case. ###


title: 19 Individuals Charged in Multiple Federal Indictments Targeting Heavily Armed Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking Organizations

component: USAO - Indiana, Southern

body_text: INDIANAPOLIS- The following 19 individuals have been charged in a series of 4 federal indictments alleging the illegal possession of firearms and machineguns and trafficking hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills and hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine in Central Indiana: Defendant Age, Location Charges Jordan Alexander (Charged by Complaint) 33, Indianapolis, Indiana Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl Jaraughn Bertram a.k.a. Bandman, Ron-Ron, Javon’s World (Fugitive) 20, Current location unknown Conspiracy to Possess and Distribute Fentanyl Continuing Criminal Enterprise Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl Jayden Bertram 22, Carmel, Indiana Conspiracy to Possess and Distribute Fentanyl Joaquin Carranza a.k.a. Chef (Fugitive) 18, current location unknown Conspiracy to Possess and Distribute Fentanyl Isaiah Chest 21, Indianapolis, Indiana Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl Elijah Conn a.k.a. Whiteboy Eli Greenwood, Indiana Conspiracy to Distribute fentanyl Tameico Johnson a.k.a. Meekeey 22, Fishers, Indiana Conspiracy to Possess and Distribute Fentanyl Brittina Jones a.k.a Tina 43, Indianapolis, Indiana Conspiracy to Distribute fentanyl Camonte Miller 21, Indianapolis, Indiana Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine Courtlin Moncrief a.k.a. Tenny, Ten Pack 29, Avon, Indiana Conspiracy to Possess and Distribute Fentanyl George Muncy 56, Greenwood, Indiana Conspiracy to Distribute fentanyl Unlawful use of a cell phone Rhonda Muncy 55, Greenwood, Indiana Conspiracy to Distribute fentanyl Deondre Perry a.k.a. Dre Greenwood, Indiana Conspiracy to Distribute fentanyl Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl Analogue Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Dewell Simpson a.k.a. PB 18, Indianapolis, Indiana Conspiracy to Possess and Distribute Fentanyl Jamie Sullivan a.k.a Jay 22, Indianapolis, Indiana Conspiracy to Possess and Distribute Fentanyl Jordan Sumner (Fugitive) 22, current location unknown Conspiracy to Possess and Distribute Fentanyl Monica Sumner 20, Indianapolis, Indiana Conspiracy to Possess and Distribute Fentanyl Kenan Wharton 18, Indianapolis. Indiana Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl Possession of a Machine Gun Brooke Woods 23, Greenwood, Indiana Conspiracy to Distribute fentanyl As part of this multiagency operation, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers from 16 different law enforcement agencies, served arrest warrants and search warrants at 18 locations in Central Indiana and in Arizona on the morning of June 22 nd . 16 individuals were arrested and are in federal custody. Three remain as fugitives. According to court documents and information presented in open court, Jaraughn Bertram and Deondre Perry allegedly led drug trafficking organizations in Central Indiana that trafficked significant quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine from Arizona to the Indianapolis, Anderson, and Muncie areas. The organizations alleged possessed and used firearms, including weapons than had been converted into fully automatic firearms (a/k/a machineguns), to further their drug trafficking activities. Machinegun conversion devices, sometimes called “Glock switches” or “auto-sears,” are devices that convert ordinary semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic machineguns. Machinegun conversion devices are themselves considered machineguns under federal law, even when not installed, and are illegal to possess or sell without a special license. During this year-long investigation, law enforcement seized the following contraband and proceeds of the alleged criminal activity: Over 32.8 kilograms (72.3 pounds) of fentanyl, or over 320,000 fentanyl pills Over 53.5 kilograms (117.9 pounds) of methamphetamine Over 205.6 kilograms (453.2 pounds) of marijuana 113 firearms 60 machinegun conversion devices Over $521,000 in cash If convicted, each defendant faces up to life in federal prison. The following investigative agencies collaborated to make this investigation and the recent warrant execution possible: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Federal Bureau of Investigation- Indianapolis Drug Enforcement Administration Homeland Security Investigations Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigation United States Marshals Service U.S. Postal Inspection Service Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Indiana State Police Fishers Police Department Carmel Police Department Boone County Sheriff’s Department Zionsville Police Department Anderson Police Department Lawrence Police Department Muncie Police Department Fort Wayne Police Department Avon Police Department U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Clifford D. Johnson, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, and Gary M. Restaino, U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, for the support of their Offices in this investigation. U.S. Attorney Myers also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle P. Brady and Kelsey L. Massa, who are prosecuting this case. This case was brought in conjunction with the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force (ICGTF). ICGTF is a partnership of law enforcement officers and analysts from several central Indiana law enforcement agencies in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan, Johnson, and Shelby counties. In cooperation with state, local, and federal partners, ICGTF collaborates to address violent crime through a comprehensive strategy including innovative approaches to locating suspects and evidence related to violent crimes and illegal possession of firearms. This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation . OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. An indictment or criminal complaint are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Un homme de Coral Springs accusé d’avoir opéré un système de Ponzi de 100 millions de dollars par l’intermédiaire de son entreprise de camionnage

body_text: MIAMI – Sanjay Singh, 43 ans, de Coral Springs, en Floride, a été arrêté et accusé devant la cour fédérale de Floride du Sud d'avoir orchestré une fraude à l'investissement (Ponzi) de 100 millions de dollars menée par son entreprise de camionnage routier, Royal Bengal Logistics, Inc. (« RBL »). L’acte d’accusation contre Singh allègue qu’il a violé les lois fédérales criminalisant le complot pour commettre une fraude de fil et se livrer à des transactions de produits illicites. Selon l'acte d'accusation, Singh, fondateur et président de RBL, a organisé et dirigé un important système de Ponzi avec des complices. Le complot a commencé en janvier 2020 et se poursuivait au moment de son arrestation. Singh et ses complices ont présenté RBL auprès d’investisseurs potentiels comme étant une entreprise de camionnage florissante et prospère, alors que l’entreprise réelle de camionnage de RBL perdait de l’argent. Au cours du processus, Singh et ses collaborateurs ont fait des déclarations erronées et des omissions importantes au sujet du risque d’investir dans RBL, de la rentabilité des activités de camionnage de RBL, de la façon dont RBL paierait ses investisseurs et de la façon dont RBL utiliserait les fonds des investisseurs. Par ces fausses déclarations et omissions importantes, Singh et ses complices ont recueilli plus de 100 millions de dollars auprès des investisseurs, laquelle somme a été utilisée en partie par Singh et ses complices pour payer les rendements promis aux investisseurs existants. L'acte d'accusation allègue également que Singh a détourné des millions de dollars de fonds d'investisseurs pour rénover sa maison, effectuer des paiements hypothécaires, payer pour ses dépenses personnelles et faire du commerce des actions sur marge. S’il est reconnu coupable de toutes les accusations portées dans l’acte d’accusation, Singh risque une peine maximale totale de 150 ans d’emprisonnement. Un juge du tribunal fédéral de district déterminera toute peine après avoir pris en considération les Lignes directrices des États-Unis statuant sur la condamnation et d'autres facteurs légaux. Markenzy Lapointe, Procureur du district sud de la Floride aux États-Unis; Jeffrey B. Veltri, Agent spécial du FBI en charge au Bureau régional de Miami ; Todd A. Damiani, Agent spécial du Bureau de l’inspecteur général pour le département des transports (« DOT-OIG »), région sud; et Russell Weigel III, Commissaire, Office de régulation financière de Floride (« OFR »), ont fait l'annonce. Le procureur des États Unis Lapointe a salué les efforts d'enquête du FBI, du DOT-OIG et de l'OFR dans cette affaire. Il a remercié le bureau régional de la La Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) des États-Unis à Miami pour son assistance. Le procureur adjoint des États Unis Kiran N. Bhat poursuit l'affaire. Le procureur adjoint des États Unis Marx Calderon s’occupe de la confiscation des biens. Un acte d'accusation n'est qu'une accusation et un accusé est présumé innocent jusqu'à preuve du contraire. Si vous avez investi dans RBL, si RBL vous doit de l’argent ou si vous avez eu des interactions avec une personne de RBL au sujet d'un investissement potentiel, veuillez consulter le site https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/rblinvestors pour fournir des informations pertinentes au FBI. Vous pouvez également visiter le site https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/rblinvestors-french pour fournir des informations en français haïtien, ou https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/rblinvestors-haitian-creole pour fournir des informations en créole haïtien. Des documents et des informations judiciaires connexes peuvent être trouvés sur le site Web du tribunal du district sud de la Floride à www.flsd.uscourts.gov ou à http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov sous le numéro de dossier 23-60117-CR (S.D. Fla.). ###


title: Justice Department Announces Charges Against China-Based Chemical Manufacturing Companies and Arrests of Executives in Fentanyl Manufacturing

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: The Justice Department today announced the arrest of two individuals and the unsealing of three indictments in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York charging China-based companies and their employees with crimes related to fentanyl production, distribution, and sales resulting from precursor chemicals. These indictments represent the first prosecutions to charge China-based chemical manufacturing companies and nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States. Specifically, the indictments allege the defendants knowingly manufactured, marketed, sold, and supplied precursor chemicals for fentanyl production in the United States in violation of federal law. During these investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized more than 200 kilograms of fentanyl-related precursor chemicals, a quantity that could contain enough deadly doses to kill 25 million Americans. Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl and its analogues have devastated communities across the United States and are fueling the ongoing overdose epidemic, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently estimated killed approximately 110,000 Americans in 2022. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49. Fentanyl analogues, similar in chemical makeup and effect to fentanyl, can be even more potent and lethal than fentanyl. “ When I announced in April that the Justice Department had taken significant enforcement actions against the Sinaloa Cartel, I promised that the Justice Department would never forget the victims of the fentanyl epidemic,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I also promised that we would never stop working to hold accountable those who bear responsibility for it. That includes not only going after the leaders of the Cartels, their drug and gun traffickers, their money launderers, security forces, and clandestine lab operators. It also includes stopping the Chinese chemical companies that are supplying the cartels with the building blocks they need to manufacture deadly fentanyl.” “Today’s announcement is a down payment on our pledge to use every tool in the government’s arsenal, in every corner of the globe, to protect American communities,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “The Justice Department will not rest or relent in investigating and prosecuting every link of the fentanyl supply chain, including the PRC companies and executives who produce and export vast quantities of the precursor chemicals the drug cartels need to peddle their poison. There can be no safe haven.” “Today’s announcement is a considerable step forward in our unrelenting fight against fentanyl, targeting the threat where it starts,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “These companies and individuals are alleged to have knowingly supplied drug traffickers, in the United States and Mexico, with the ingredients and scientific know-how needed to make fentanyl – a drug that continues to devastate families and communities across the United States, killing Americans from all walks of life. Targeting entire criminal drug networks, from the source of supply to the last mile of distribution, is critical to saving American lives. DEA will not stop until this crisis ends.” Southern District of New York An indictment was unsealed in the Southern District of New York charging the China-based chemical company Hubei Amarvel Biotech Co. Ltd., aka AmarvelBio, (Amarvel Biotech), as well as its executives and employees Qingzhou Wang, 35, aka Bruce (Wang); Yiyi Chen, 31, aka Chiron (Chen); and Fnu Lnu, aka Er Yang and Anita (Yang), with fentanyl trafficking, precursor chemical importation, and money laundering offenses. Wang and Chen, both nationals of China, were expelled from Fiji on June 8, arrested by the DEA, and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Wes Reber Porter in Honolulu federal court on June 9. Wang and Chen were ordered detained in Honolulu and will appear in Manhattan federal court following their arrival in the Southern District of New York. Yang, also a national of China, is at large. “The indictment unsealed today in the Southern District of New York is the next step in our fight against fentanyl,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “Today, we target the very beginning of the fentanyl supply chain: the Chinese manufacturers of the raw chemicals used to make fentanyl and its analogues. We’ve charged a Chinese precursor chemical company. And that’s not all. We’ve charged and arrested some of the individuals who work at the company. That includes a corporate executive and a marketing manager. They’re in American handcuffs. And they’re going to face justice in an American courtroom.” According to the allegations contained in the indictment and other court filings, Amarvel Biotech is a chemical manufacturer based in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei province, China, that has exported vast quantities of the precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl and its analogues. Amarvel Biotech has openly advertised online its shipment of fentanyl precursor chemicals to the United States and to Mexico, where drug cartels operate clandestine laboratories, synthesize finished fentanyl at scale, and distribute the deadly fentanyl into and throughout the United States. Through its website and a host of other storefront sites, Amarvel Biotech has targeted precursor chemical customers in Mexico, including by advertising fentanyl precursors as a “Mexico hot sale;” guaranteeing “100% stealth shipping” abroad; and posting to its websites documentation of Amarvel Biotech shipping chemicals to Culiacan, Mexico, the home city of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the dominant drug trafficking organizations in the Western Hemisphere and which is largely responsible for the massive influx of fentanyl into the United States in recent years. Amarvel Biotech has also endeavored to thwart law enforcement interdiction of its precursor chemical shipments. Amarvel Biotech has advertised, for example, the company’s ability to use deceptive packaging – such as packaging indicating the contents are dog food, nuts, or motor oil – to ensure “safe” delivery to the United States and Mexico. Over the past eight months, during an undercover investigation by the DEA, Amarvel Biotech and its principal executive, Wang, its marketing manager, Chen, and its sales representative, Yang, shipped more than 200 kilograms from China to the United States of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl and its analogues. Amarvel Biotech, Wang, Chen, and Yang shipped the precursors to the United States intending that the chemicals would be used to produce fentanyl and its analogues in New York, and they agreed to continue supplying multi-ton shipments of fentanyl precursors despite being told that Americans had died after consuming fentanyl made from the chemicals that the defendants had sold. For example, on or about Nov. 17, 2022, a DEA confidential source (CS-1) wrote to Yang using an encrypted messaging application, “You know I making fentanyl,” and “Is not safe.” Yang replied, “I know.” On or about Dec. 1, 2022, Yang wrote to CS-1, promising that CS-1 would be “happy with our product” and noting that CS-1 would “be able to synthesize fentanyl.” In exchange for payment in cryptocurrency, Amarvel Biotech thereafter shipped from China to New York approximately 999.7 grams of the fentanyl precursor 1-boc-4-AP, approximately 1,002.6 grams of the fentanyl precursor 1-boc-4-piperidone, and approximately 893.6 grams of the methamphetamine precursor methylamine. In or about March 2023, Wang and Chen met in person with an individual whom CS-1 represented was CS-1’s boss but was in fact another DEA confidential source (CS-2). During the meeting, Wang and Chen discussed Amarvel Biotech’s ability to supply ton-quantities of fentanyl precursors to New York for CS-1 and CS-2’s fentanyl manufacturing operation. After CS-2 stated that CS-2 wanted a different formula for manufacturing fentanyl and that several of CS-2’s American customers had purportedly died, Wang and Chen advised they had “a lot of customers in America and Mexico” who could provide technical assistance with fentanyl production. After March 2023, Amarvel Biotech, Wang, Chen, and Yang agreed to sell CS-1 and CS-2 approximately 210 kilograms of fentanyl precursors in exchange for payment in cryptocurrency. During an April 10 video call with Wang and Chen, CS-2 stated that the approximately 210 kilograms of fentanyl precursors would be used to manufacture approximately 50 to 55 kilograms of fentanyl – an amount that, as noted above, could contain approximately 25 million deadly doses. In or about May 2023, Amarvel Biotech, Wang, Chen, and Yang sent to the United States the shipment ordered by CS-1 and CS-2. On or about May 5, the DEA retrieved the precursor shipment from a warehouse near Los Angeles. Lab testing confirmed the presence of a precursor chemical for a fentanyl analogue. In an encrypted messaging group chat with CS-1, CS-2, Wang, and Chen, Yang explained that “New York, the United States, has been strict in checking the precursors of the ‘final product’ some time ago, so for the sake of safety, this time it is sent to California.” In or about June 2023, Wang and Chen met again with CS-2. During the meeting, Wang and Chen discussed with CS-2 a multi-ton order of fentanyl precursor chemicals. Wang and Chen also discussed the need to take additional measures to protect themselves from detection and interdiction of their shipments “because recently American government . . . seized some Mexican group and they followed the routes to China,” where the U.S. Government found “our competitor in China” – an apparent reference to fentanyl-related charges filed in the Southern District of New York and announced in April 2023 against, among others, leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel and certain China-based precursor chemical company executives. DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated the case, with assistance from the DEA Bangkok Country Office, DEA Wellington Country Office, DEA Beijing Country Office, DEA Honolulu District Office, DEA New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), DEA Riverside District Office, DEA Special Testing Laboratory, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Royal Thai Police Narcotics Suppression Bureau, the Fiji Police Force Narcotic Bureau, the Fiji Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii. The Southern District of New York’s Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit is prosecuting the case. Eastern District of New York Two indictments were unsealed in the Eastern District of New York that detail criminal conspiracies by companies and employees based in China to manufacture and distribute fentanyl in the United States. The first indictment charges Anhui Rencheng Technology Co. (Rencheng) Ltd.; Anhui Moker New Material Technology Co.; Shutong Wang; and Shifang Ruan, aka Eva, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, manufacture of fentanyl, and other related offenses. In addition, the indictment charges those same defendants, as well as Xinyu Zhao, aka Sarah, and Yue Gao, aka Ellie, with illegally concealing their activities, including through customs fraud and introducing misbranded drugs into the U.S. marketplace. The indictment also charges Rencheng, Wang, and Ruan with conspiracy to distribute butonitazene, a controlled substance. The second indictment charges Hefei GSK Trade Co. Ltd, aka Hebei Gesuke Trading Co. Ltd. and Hebei Sinaloa Trading Co. Ltd.; and Ruiqing Li with similar offenses, including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, manufacture of fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute a List I chemical, distribution of a List I chemical, customs fraud conspiracy, introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, and distribution of metonitazene, a controlled substance. “As alleged, the defendants knowingly distributed the chemical building blocks of fentanyl to the United States and Mexico, even providing advice on how they should be used to manufacture this dangerous drug which inflicts untold tragedy in New York City, Long Island, and across the nation,” said U.S Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “This prosecution shows that the companies and individuals who fuel our nation’s deadly opioid epidemic – wherever they are located – will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” As alleged in the indictments, the defendant companies supplied precursor chemicals to the United States and Mexico, among other places, knowing they would be used to manufacture fentanyl. The defendant companies openly advertised their products all over the world, including to the United States and Mexico, on social media platforms. They also sent their chemical products to the United States and Mexico by boat and by air, using public and private international mail and package carriers. To prevent detection and interception of chemical products at the borders, the defendant companies employed deceptive and fraudulent practices, such as mislabeling packages, falsifying customs forms, and making false declarations at border crossings. The chemicals distributed by the defendants included all the materials necessary to manufacture fentanyl via the most common pathways. The defendant companies attempted to obfuscate their distribution of fentanyl precursors by adding “masking” molecules, which slightly alter the chemical signature of the underlying precursor chemicals. By changing the chemical signature, an altered substance could evade testing protocols and relevant regulations by appearing to be a new substance. Such masking molecules are easily removed, thus enabling the purchaser to return the substance to its original form as a fentanyl precursor. The defendant companies not only produced and distributed masked precursors, but also provided instructions about how to remove the masking molecules upon receipt, thus helping their customers to more effectively obtain banned precursors and produce fentanyl. The defendants also gave instructions on how to improve fentanyl yield and advice on which chemicals to buy to replace banned precursor products. Mexican drug trafficking organizations, including but not limited to the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), have increasingly availed themselves of the fentanyl precursors and masked fentanyl precursors developed and distributed by the defendant companies and companies like them. The chemicals provided by the defendant companies have enabled such cartels and other drug trafficking organizations to produce fentanyl in clandestine laboratories in Mexico on a massive scale, for subsequent distribution in the United States and elsewhere. The materials and instructions provided by the defendant companies and companies like them have directly caused and contributed to the influx of deadly fentanyl into the United States. DEA New York, DEA Mexico, DEA Diversion Control Division, DEA Special Testing and Research Laboratory, U.S. Customs and Border Protection New York Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation New York Division, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York investigated the case. The New York City Police Department, the New York State Police, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance on the case. The Eastern District of New York’s Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section is prosecuting the case. This effort is part of an OCDETF operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. SDNY Indictment EDNY Indictment 2 EDNY Indictment 1


title: Departamento de Justicia anuncia cargos contra empresas de manufactura basadas en China, así como arrestos de ejecutivos de empresas que manufacturan fentanilo

body_text: El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy el arresto de dos individuos y la publicación de tres acusaciones formales en los distritos este y sur de Nueva York contra empresas con sede en China y sus empleados por crímenes relacionados a la producción, distribución y venta de fentanilo al vender precursores químicos. Estas acusaciones representan los primeros cargos contra empresas de manufactura química con sede en China y contra ciudadanos de la República Popular China por tráfico de precursores del fentanilo a los Estados Unidos. Específicamente, la acusación alega que los ahora acusados, a sabiendas, fabricaron, mercadearon, vendieron y ofertaron precursores químicos para producción de fentanilo en Estados Unidos en violación a la ley federal. Durante estas investigaciones, la Agencia Antidorgas (DEA) decomisó más de 200 kilos de precursores relacionados al fentanilo, una cantidad que podía contener suficientes dosis mortales para matar a 25 millones de estadounidenses. El fentanilo es un opioide sintético altamente adictivo que es 50 veces más potente que la heroína y 100 veces más fuerte que la morfina. El fentanilo y sus análogos han devastado comunidades en todo Estados Unidos y están alimentando la continua epidemia de sobredosis que los Centros para el Control y Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC) recientemente estimaron que mataron a aproximadamente 110 mil estadounidenses en 2022. El fentanilo es actualmente la principal causa de muerte de estadounidenses entre 18 y 49 años de edad. Los análogos del fentanilo, que tienen composición química y efectos similares al fentanilo, pueden ser aún más potentes y mortales que el fentanilo. “Cuando anuncié en abril que el Departamento de Justicia había tomado acciones significativas contra el cártel de Sinaloa, prometí que el Departamento de Justicia nunca olvidaría a las víctimas de la epidemia de fentanilo,” dijo el Procurador General Merrick B. Garland. “También prometí que nunca dejaríamos de trabajar para hacer que rindan cuentas los que tienen responsabilidad en esto. Esto incluye no sólo ir tras los cabecillas de los cárteles, sus traficantes de drogas y armas, los que blanquean sus fondos, sus fuerzas de seguridad y sus operadores de laboratorios. También incluye a las empresas chinas que están proveyendo a los cárteles los materiales necesarios para fabricar el mortal fentanilo.” “El anuncio de hoy es un primer pago de nuestra promesa de usar cada herramienta en el arsenal del gobierno, en cada rincón del planeta para proteger a las comunidades estadounidenses,” dijo la Subprocuradora General Lisa O. Monaco. “El Departamento de Justicia no descansará ni ralentizará en su investigación y proceso contra cada vínculo de la cadena de suministro de fentanilo, incluyendo empresas y ejecutivos en la República Popular China que producen y exportan vastas cantidades de precursores químicos que los cárteles necesitan para vender su veneno. No habrá lugar seguro para ellos.” “EL anuncio de hoy es un considerable paso hacia adelante en nuestra lucha implacable contra el fentanilo, yendo contra la amenaza donde comienza,” dijo la Administradora de la DEA Anne Milgram. “Se alega que estas empresas e individuos a sabiendas proveyeron a narcotraficantes en Estados Unidos y México los ingredientes y el saber científico necesario para hacer fentanilo, una droga que continúa devastando a familias y comunidades en todo Estados Unidos, matando estadounidenses de todo tipo. Ir contra redes criminales de drogas completas, desde la fuente del suministro hasta la última milla de distribución es crucial para salvar vidas estadounidenses. La DEA no se detendrá hasta que termine esta crisis.” Distrito Sur de Neuva York Se abrió una acusación formal en el distrito sur de Nueva York contra la empresa química con sede en China Hubei Amarvel Biotech CO., Ltd., también conocida como AmarvelBio, (Amarvel Biotech), así como contra sus ejecutivos y empleados Qingzhou Wang, de 35 años de edad, también conocido como Bruce (Wang); Yiyi Chen, de 31 años de edad, también conocido como as Chiron (Chen); y Fnu Lnu, también conocido como Er Yang y Anita (Yang), por tráfico de fentanilo, importación de precursores químicos y lavado de dinero. Wang y Chen ambos son ciudadanos chinos expulsados de Fiji el 8 de junio y arrestados por la DEA y presentados ante el juez magistrado de Estados Unidos Wes Reber Porter en una corte federal en Honolulu el 9 de junio. Se ordenó la detención de Wang y Chen en Honolulu y comparecerán ante una corte federal en Manhattan tras su arribo al distrito sur de Nueva York. Yang, de nacionalidad china, está prófugo. “La acusación revelada hoy en el Distrito Sur de Nueva York es el próximo paso en nuestra lucha contra el fentanilo,” dijo el fiscal federal Damian Williams. “Hoy vamos contra el mero inicio de la cadena de suministro del fentanilo: los fabricantes chinos de materias primas usadas para hacer fentanilo y sus análogos. Hemos acusado a una empresa china de precursores químicos. Y eso no es todo. Hemos acusado y arrestado a algunos individuos que trabajan para la empresa. Eso incluye a un ejecutivo corporativo y un gerente de mercadeo. Están en custodia estadounidense. Y enfrentarán la justicia en un juicio estadounidense.” De acuerdo a los alegatos contenidos en la acusación y otros documentos de corte, Amarvel Biotech es un fabricante de químicos con sede en la ciudad de Wuhan en la provincia Hubei de China que ha exportado vastas cantidades de precursores químicos para fabricar fentanilo y análogos. Amarvel Biotech ha abiertamente anunciado en línea sus embarques de precursores químicos del fentanilo a Estados Unidos y México, donde cárteles de la droga operan laboratorios clandestinos, sintetizan el fentanilo terminado a escala, y distribuyen la mortal droga en los Estados Unidos. Mediante su página web y otros sitios fachada, Amarvel Biotech ha buscado clientes de precursores químicos en México, incluyendo anunciando precursores químicos del fentanilo como “hot sale México”, garantizando “envío 100% secreto” al extranjero y subiendo a sus sitios documentos de embarques a Culiacán, Sinaloa, sede del cártel de Sinaloa, una de las organizaciones narcotraficantes dominantes en el hemisferio occidental y que es mayormente responsable por el flujo masivo de fentanilo a Estados Unidos en años recientes. Amarvel Biotech ha buscado frustrar las acciones de interdicción de procuración de justicia de sus precursores químicos. La empresa ha anunciado, por ejemplo, el uso de empaques engañosos, tales como empaques que indican que los contenidos son comida para perro, nueces o aceite de motor para garantizar la entrega “segura” a Estados Unidos y México. En los últimos ocho meses, durante una investigación encubierta de la DEA, Amarvel Biotech y su principal ejecutivo, Wan, su gerente de mercadeo Chen, y su representante de ventas Yang, enviaron más de 200 kilos de China a los Estados Unidos para precursores químicos usados para hacer fentanilo y sus análogos. Amarvel Biotech, Wang, Chen, y Yang enviaron precursores a Estados Unidos con la intención de que los químicos se usaran para producir fentanilo y sus análogos en Nueva York, y acordaron continuar proveyendo embarques de múltiples toneladas de precursores de fentanilo a pesar de que se les dijo que estadounidenses habían muerto tras consumir fentanilo hecho con los químicos que ofertaron los acusados. Por ejemplo, alrededor del 17 de noviembre de 2022, una fuente confidencial de la DEA (llamada CS-1) le escribió a Yang diciéndole en una aplicación de mensajes encriptados, “Sabes que estoy fabricando fentanilo” y “No es seguro”. Yang replicó: “Lo sé”. Alrededor del 1 de diciembre de 2022 Yang le escribió a CS-1, prometiéndole que CS-1 estaría “contento con el producto” y destacando que CS-1 podría “sintetizar fentanilo”. A cambio de pago en criptomonedas, Amarvel Biotech envió de China a Nueva York aproximadamente 999.7 gramos del precursor de fentanilo 1-boc-4-AP, aproximadamente 1,002.6 gramos del precursor de fentanilo 1-boc-4-piperidone, y aproximadamente 893.6 gramos de precursor de metanfetaminas metilamina. Alrededor de marzo de 2023, Wang y Chen se reunieron en persona con un individuo a quien CS-1 presentó como su jefe, pero que era en realidad otra fuente confidencial de la DEA (CS-2). Durante la reunión, Wang y Chen dialogaron sobre la habilidad de Amarvel Biotech de entregar toneladas de precursores de fentanilo a Nueva York a la operación de manufactura de fentanilo de CS-1 y CS-2. Cuando CS-2 indicó que quería una fórmula diferente de manufactura de fentanilo y que varios de sus clientes habían muerto, Wang y Chen le dijeron que tenían “muchos clientes en Estados Unidos y México” que podían ofrecer asistencia técnica con la producción de fentanilo. En o alrededor de marzo de 2023, Amarvel Biotech, Wang, Chen y Yang acordaron vender a CS-1 y a CS-2 aproximadamente 210 kilos de precursores de fentanilo a cambio de pago en criptomoneda. Durante una videollamada el 10 de abril con Wang y Chen, CS-2 declaró que aproximadamente 210 kilos de precursores de fentanilo podían ser usados para fabricar aproximadamente entre 50 y 55 kilos de fentanilo, una cantidad que como se estableció anteriormente, podía producir 25 millones de dosis mortales. Alrededor de mayo de 2023, Amarvel Biotech, Wang, Chen, y Yang enviaron a los Estados Unidos la orden requerida por CS-1 y CS-2. Alrededor del 5 de mayo, la DEA decomisó el embarque de precursores de una bodega cerca de Los Ángeles. Pruebas de laboratorio confirmaron la presencia de un precursor químico de un análogo de fentanilo. En un mensaje encriptado en un chat grupal con CS-1 y CS-2, Wang y Chen, Yang explicó que “Nueva York, Estados Unidos, ha sido estricto en la revisión de precursores del ‘producto final’ desde hace un tiempo. Por seguridad, esta vez lo enviamos a California”. Alrededor de junio de 2023, Wang y Chen se reunieron nuevamente con CS-2. Durante la reunión, Wang y Chen hablaron con CS-2 sobre una orden de varias toneladas de precursores de fentanilo. Wang y Chen también hablaron de la necesidad de tomar medidas adicionales para protegerse de ser detectados o que sus embarques fueran decomisados “porque recientemente el gobierno estadounidense… decomisó a un grupo mexicano y rastrearon sus rutas hasta China”, donde el gobierno estadounidense encontró “a nuestro competidor en China” – en aparente referencia a los cargos por fentanilo anunciados en el distrito sur de Nueva York y anunciados en abril de 2023 contra, entre otros, líderes del cártel de Sinaloa y ciertos ejecutivos de empresas de precursores con sede en China. La Unidad de Investigaciones Bilaterales de la División de Operaciones Especiales de la DEA investigó el caso, con apoyo de la oficina de la DEA en Banghkok, la oficina de DEA en Wellington, la oficina de DEA en Beijing, la oficina de distrito de DEA en Honolulu, la Fuerza de Trabajo de la DEA contra Drogas y Crimen Organizado de Nueva York (OCDETF), la oficina de DEA en el distrito Riverside, el Laboratorio de Pruebas Especiales de DEA, la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales del Departamento de Justicia, el Buró de Supresión de Narcóticos de la la Real Policía de Tailandia, el Buró de Narcóticos de la Policía de Fiji, la oficina de Fiji del Director de Procesos Públicos y la oficina del fiscal federal para el Distrito de Hawaii. El Distrito Sur de la Oficina en Nueva York de Seguridad Nacional y la Unidad de Narcóticos Internacionales están llevando el caso. Distrito Este de Nueva York Dos acusaciones se presentaron en el Distrito Este de Nueva York que detallan las conspiraciones criminales de empresas con sede en China y empleados por fabricar y distribuir fentanilo en Estados Unidos. La primera acusación formal es contra Anhui Rencheng Technology Co. (Rencheng) Ltd.; Anhui Moker New Material Technology Co.; Shutong Wang; y Shifang Ruan, también conocida como Eva, por conspiración para fabricar y distribuir fentanilo, fabricar fentanilo y otras ofensas relacionadas. Además, la acusación es contra esos mismos acusados, así como Xinyu Zhao, también conocida como Sarah, y Yue Gao, también conocida como Ellie, por ilegalmente encubrir sus actividades, incluyendo mediante fraude aduanal e introducción de medicamentos mal etiquetados al mercado estadounidense. La acusación también es contra Rencheng, Wang y Ruan por conspiración para distribuir butonitazeno, una sustancia controlada. La segunda acusación es contra Hefei GSK Trade Co. Ltd, también conocida como Hebei Gesuke Trading Co. Ltd. y Hebei Sinaloa Trading Co. Ltd.; y Ruiqing Li por ofensas similares, incluyendo conspiración de manufacturar y distribuir fentanilo, manufactura de fentanilo, conspiración de distribuir un químico de la Lista I, distribución de químico de la Lista I, conspiración de fraude aduanal, introducción de medicamentos mal etiquetados a comercio interestatal, y distribución de metonitazona, una sustancia controlada. “Como se alega, los acusados distribuyeron a sabiendas los químicos con los que se hace el fentanilo a Estados Unidos y México, y ofrecieron consejos de cómo debían ser usados para fabricar esta peligrosa droga, que produce una tragedia sin precedentes en Nueva York, Long Island y en toda la nación,” dijo el fiscal federal Breon Pace del distrito Este de Nueva York. “Este proceso judicial muestra que encontraremos a las empresas e individuos que alimentan la mortal epidemia de opioides de nuestra nación, donde sea que se estén, y les llevaremos en proceso hasta las últimas consecuencias de la ley.” Como se alega en las acusaciones, las empresas acusadas proveyeron precursores químicos a Estados Unidos y a México, entre otros lugares, a sabiendas de que se usarían para fabricar fentanilo. Las empresas acusadas abiertamente anunciaron sus productos en todo el mundo, incluyendo en Estados Unidos y en México, en plataformas de redes sociales. También enviaron sus productos químicos a Estados Unidos y México por barco y avión, usando correo público y privado y transportistas. Para prevenir la detección e intercepción de los productos químicos en las fronteras, las empresas acusadas usaron prácticas engañosas y fraudulentas, como etiquetar de manera errónea los paquetes, falsificar declaraciones aduanales y hacer declaraciones falsas en cruces fronterizos. Los químicos distribuidos por los acusados incluyeron todos los materiales necesarios para fabricar fentanilo del modo más común. Las empresas acusadas intentaron ofuscar su distribución de precursores de fentanilo al agregar moléculas que “enmascaraban”, lo que alteraba levemente la firma química del precursor. Al cambiar esta firma química, una sustancia alterada podía evadir los protocolos de pruebas y los reglamentos relevantes, aparentando ser una nueva sustancia. Estas moléculas se pueden quitar de manera fácil, permitiendo al comprador regresar la sustancia a su forma original como precursor de fentanilo. Las empresas acusadas no sólo produjeron y distribuyeron precursores “enmascarados”, sino que también ofrecieron instrucciones de como eliminar estas moléculas tras la recepción, ayudando así a sus clientes a obtener de manera más eficaz precursores prohibidos y producir fentanilo. Los acusados también dieron instrucciones sobre cómo mejorar la cantidad producida de fentanilo y consejos sobre qué químicos comprar para remplazar precursores prohibidos. Organizaciones mexicanas de tráfico de drogas, incluyendo pero no exclusivamente el cártel de Sinaloa y el cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), se han abastecido cada vez más de precursores de fentanilo y precursores “enmascarados” de fentanilo desarrollados y distribuidos por las empresas acusadas y otras empresas similares. Los químicos que ofrecían estas empresas han permitido a estos cárteles y otras organizaciones narcotraficantes producir fentanilo en laboratorios clandestinos de México a escala masiva para su posterior distribución a Estados Unidos y otras partes. Los materiales y las instrucciones ofrecidas por las empresas acusadas y empresas similares han causado directamente y han contribuido directamente al flujo del mortal fentanilo a los Estados Unidos. Las oficinas de DEA en Nueva York, México, Diversion Control , el Laboratorio Especial de Pruebas e Investigación de la DEA, así como la oficina de campo de Nueva York de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza, la División de Investigación Criminal de Nueva York del Servicio de Rentas Internas, y la Oficina de Inspección Postal de Nueva York investigaron el caso. El Departamento de Policía de Nueva York, la Policía Estatal de Nueva York y la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales del Departamento de Justicia ofrecieron asistencia. El distrito este de la Oficina de Narcóticos y Lavado de Dinero Internacional está llevando el caso. El esfuerzo es parte de una operación de OCDEFT. OCDETF identifica, interrumpe y desmantela las organizaciones criminales de más alto nivel que amenazan a Estados Unidos usando un enfoque integral llevado por fiscales y por inteligencia. Más información sobre el Programa OCDETF disponible en www.justice.gov/OCDETF . Una acusación formal es un mero alegato. Se presume inocente a todos los acusados hasta que se muestre su culpabilidad más allá de duda razonable en una corte de ley. SDNY Acusaciones formales EDNY Acusaciones formales 2 EDNY Acusaciones formales 1


title: 6 Suspects Arrested From Large-Scale Fredericksburg Drug Organization

component: USAO - Virginia, Eastern

body_text: RICHMOND, Va. – U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber announced six federal arrests today as a result of a years-long investigation into a large-scale drug organization operating in the greater Fredericksburg and Baltimore area. This operation required significant coordination between local, state, and federal law enforcement. The suspects face federal charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances to include cocaine, fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, heroin, and synthetic cathinone, commonly known as “Molly” or “Boot.” If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. This case was investigated by FBI Richmond’s Fredericksburg Regional Narcotics Task Force with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Virginia State Police, Fredericksburg Police Department, Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, King George Sheriff’s Office, Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, FBI Baltimore, Charles County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office, and Madison County Sheriff’s Office. This investigation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching Case No. 3:23-cr-73. An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.


title: Andrews Man Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Robbery and Murder of Postal Carrier, Co-Defendant Sentenced to Twenty-Five Years for Role in Robbery

body_text: FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA ---- Trevor Raekwon Seward, 25, of Andrews, SC, was sentenced to life imprisonment along with a twenty year consecutive sentence after being convicted at trial for the murder of a federal employee in the course of her duties; use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; robbery; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana. Jerome Terrell Davis, 31, also of Andrews, SC, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to robbery and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana. Evidence presented by the government at Seward’s trial and at Davis’ change of plea hearing established that on September 23, 2019, Seward and Davis were anticipating the delivery of two pounds of marijuana that had been shipped from California through the United States Postal Service. Rather than deliver the package to Seward’s residence in Andrews, SC, mail carrier Irene Pressley placed a form in Seward’s mailbox stating that the authorized recipient would need to come to the post office to claim the package. After Seward confronted Pressley minutes later and failed to get the marijuana package, he returned home. Shortly thereafter, Seward’s home surveillance showed him leaving his home armed with an AR-15. Davis then picked up Seward and the two went in search of Pressley. After determining where Pressley was on her mail route, Davis dropped Seward off on Senate Road in Andrews, SC. Davis then left the area and a short time later, approximately one hour after she had left the form in Seward’s mailbox, Pressley was driving down Senate Road in Andrews, SC, when Seward fired approximately twenty rounds of from his AR-15 into the back of Pressley’s vehicle, striking her multiple times. Seward then got into Pressley’s vehicle and drove approximately three miles away, where he left Pressley and her vehicle in a ditch on an access road to a hunt club. While on the access road, Seward removed mail from Pressley’s vehicle and searched through packages for the package intended for his residence or any other items of value. The package of marijuana that had been shipped to Seward’s residence was later found on Senate Road where Pressley had been shot by Seward. United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins sentenced Seward to life imprisonment for the murder of Irene Pressley. Seward was also sentenced to a 20-year consecutive sentence for using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, as well as concurrent sentences for the robbery, felon in possession of a firearm and marijuana conspiracy charges. Judge Coggins sentenced Davis to the maximum possible sentence of 20 years for the robbery and 5 years for the marijuana conspiracy, with those sentences to be served consecutively for a total of 25 years. Davis’ prison sentence will be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. “Every member of our community deserves to live, work, and play without fearing for their lives,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs. “These sentences will never replace the loss of Irene Pressley. But they represent the commitment of this office, and our law enforcement partners, to fighting violent crime, protecting federal workers, and keeping our communities safe.” “No sentence can pay for the loss of a loved one, but we hope the justice served will bring some meaningful measure of closure to Irene Pressley’s family, friends, and colleagues,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “The sentences issued show the strong determination of the US Postal Inspection Service to protect our employees and to work diligently to bring justice to criminals who assault or viciously attack them. We are grateful for the collaborative investigative work performed by our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.” “The senseless murder of Irene Pressley has had a profound impact on our community,” said Williamsburg County Sheriff Stephen R. Gardner. “We are thankful that those responsible have now been held fully accountable for their actions and we greatly appreciate the opportunity to work alongside the United States Postal Inspection Service and our other law enforcement partners to obtain justice for the Pressley family.” The case was investigated by agents of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (“SLED”) and the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Nick Bianchi, Katherine Flynn and Elle E. Klein prosecuted the case. ###


title: San Jose Doctor Convicted Of Twelve Counts Of Illegally Prescribing Opioids

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: SAN JOSE – A federal jury convicted physician Donald Siao of twelve counts of distributing the controlled substances Oxycodone and Hydrocodone outside of the usual course of his professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark, and U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Ryan. The verdicts follow a one-week trial before United States District Judge Beth Labson Freeman. Siao, 58, is a licensed physician who practices family medicine in San Jose. At trial, evidence demonstrated that after identifying Siao in a separate prescription fraud investigation, investigators reviewed a California state database and discovered Siao had written 8,201 prescriptions for controlled substance medications in just the one-year period from May 2016 to May 2017. An investigation followed and resulted in Siao prescribing Oxycodone and Hydrocodone in increasing quantities over seventeen visits by four separate undercover law enforcement agents posing as patients. The undercover agents received prescriptions from Siao despite complaining of only vague pain or discomfort, requesting specific opioids by name, and admitting to sharing the pills with friends and coworkers. Evidence at trial further established that Siao prescribed dangerous opioids to his patients E.J. and A.J., a mother and son, notwithstanding obvious red flags. Siao continued to prescribe opioids to the mother E.J. after she repeatedly claimed that her pills had been lost or stolen, despite Siao receiving an alert from E.J.’s insurer regarding her opioid prescriptions and despite Siao being advised that E.J. was jailed for selling pills, which was documented in Siao’s medical file for E.J. Similarly, Siao prescribed opioids to the son A.J. after he overdosed twice. Siao continued to prescribe opioids to A.J. after A.J. repeatedly claimed the opioids were lost or stolen and even after he had been flagged by his prior medical provider for drug-seeking behavior, after his mother reported he had stolen her medications, and after A.J.’s mother E.J. fatally overdosed on opioids. These facts were all documented in Siao’s medical file for A.J. Trial evidence also demonstrated that Siao refused to heed warnings that his prescriptions were dangerous. Evidence showed Siao was aware that DEA closely scrutinized opioid prescriptions and pointed out to one of the undercover officers posing as a patient that a nationwide epidemic was underway in which large numbers of people were addicted to and dying from opioids. Siao nevertheless continued to prescribe opioids to the agents upon their request and with little to no physical examination, sometimes after visits lasting only a few minutes. Law enforcement agents interviewed Siao in November 2018 about his prescribing practices, and Siao admitted he was aware of the California Medical Board’s Guidelines for Prescribing Controlled Substances for Pain. During trial, Siao also admitted that he had been taught about the dangers of addiction and how to identify drug-seeking patients. The jury convicted Siao of twelve counts of distributing opioids outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, all in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). Of the 12 counts, four related to the undercover agents and eight related to E.J. and A.J. U.S. District Judge Freeman scheduled Siao’s sentencing for November 7, 2023. Each of the twelve counts carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The United States is also seeking forfeiture of Siao’s medical license. The court may also order additional fines, restitution, and supervision upon release from prison as part of any sentence. However, any sentence will be imposed by a court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amani Floyd and Dan Karmel are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Mimi Lam. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by DEA, HHS-OIG, and the California Department of Justice Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse. The case was investigated and prosecuted by member agencies of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a focused multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force investigating and prosecuting the most significant drug trafficking organizations throughout the United States by leveraging the combined expertise of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.


title: Yo Enkilpe Yon Mesye Ki Abite Coral Springs poutèt Li Tap Jere Yon Konplo Ponzi Ki Rapòte 100 Milyon Dola Atravè Konpayi Kamyon Li a

body_text: MIAMI – Yo arete Sanjay Singh ki gen 43 lane e ki soti Coral Springs, Florida. Yon tribinal federal nan Sid Florid la enkilpe misye pou fròd nan yon envestisman ki rapòte 100 milyon dola ke li monte a travè yon konpayi kamyon li genyen ki rele Royal Bengal Logistics, Inc. (“RBL”). Genyen yon rekizitwa kont Singh ki gen ladanl akizasyon ki di Singh vyole lwa federal ki penalize konplo pou komèt fwòd elektwonik, fwòd elektwonik ak patisipasyon nan tranzaksyon ki rapòte lajan ilegal. Dapre enkilpasyon an, Singh, fondatè e prezidan RBL, te òganize epi dirije yon konplo Ponzi ak lòt konplis. Komplo a kòmanse an janvye 2020 e li te kontinye jiskaske yo arete misye. Singh ak konplis li yo te prezante RBL bay potansyèl envestisè yo tankou yon biznis kamyon ki pwospè e k ap byen mache, pandansetan antrepiz la ap pèdi lajan. Nan mouvman sa, Singh ak akolit li yo te fè fo deklarasyon ak omisyon enpòtan sou risk ki genyen nan envesti nan RBL, rantabilite operasyon kamyon RBL yo, kijan RBL ta pral peye envestisè yo, epi kijan RBL ta pral itlize lajan envestisè yo. Atravè fo deklarasyon ak omisyon enpòtan sa yo, Singh ak konplis li yo pran plis pase 100 milyon dola nan men envestisè yo. Singh ak akolit li yo te itilize yon pati nan lajan sa a pou peye envestisè yo enterè yo te pwomèt yo. Rekizitwa a akize Singh kòmkwa li detounen plizyè milyon dola ki soti nan lajan envestisè yo pou repare kay li, peye ipotèk li, peye pou depans pèsonèl li ak envesti nan mache bousye a. Si yo kondane l pou tout akizasyon ki nan rekizitwa a, Singh ap fè fas ak yon maksimòm total 150 lane nan prizon. Markenzy Lapointe, Avoka Gouvènman Ameriken nan Distri Sid Eta Florid, Jeffery B. Veltri, Ajan Espesyal an Chaj nan Biwo FBI nan Miami, Todd A. Damiani, Ajan Espesyal an Chaj nan Biwo Enspektè Jeneral Depatman Transpò (ʺDOT-OIGʺ), Rejyon Sid ak Russell Weigel III, Komisyonè Biwo Règleman Finansyè Florid (ʺOFRʺ) fè anons la. Avoka Gouvènman Ameriken an, Lapointe, felisite efò envestigasyon FBI, DOT-OIG ak OFR sou dosye sa. Li remèsye Biwo Rejyonal Komisyon Sekirite ak Echanj Ameriken nan Miami pou asistans yo. Asistan Avoka Gouvènman Ameriken, Kiran N. Bhat, ap pouswiv ka a. Asistan Avoka Gouvènman Ameriken, Marx Calderon, ap okipe konfiskasyon byen yo. Yon enkilpasyon se sèlman yon akizasyon, epi yon akize inosan jiskaske yo pwouve li koupab. Si w te envesti nan RBL, si RBL dwe w lajan oswa ou te konn pale ak nenpòt moun nan RBL konsènan yon potansyèl envestisman nan RBL, silvouplè vizite https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/rblinvestors pou w bay FBI bon jan enfòmasyon. Ou ka vizite tou https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/rblinvestors-french pou w bay enfòmasyon an Fransè Ayisyen oswa https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/rblinvestors-haitian-creole pou bay enfòmasyon an Kreyòl. Ou ka jwenn dokiman ak enfòmasyon ki gen rapò ak tribinal la sou sit wèb Tribinal Distri pou Distri Sid Florid la nan www.flsd.uscourts.gov oswa nan http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov chèche nan nimewo sa : 23-60117-CR (S.D.Fla.). ###


title: Leader of Drug Trafficking Gang 65 INC. Found Guilty

component: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal jury convicted Joseph E. Pérez-González, a/k/a “Peca/Stripper” for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and firearms violations. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), San Juan and Carolina Strike Forces, and the United States Marshals Service investigated the case. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Joseph E. Pérez-González, a/k/a “Peca/Stripper” was the leader of a drug trafficking organization called 65 Inc. which distributed cocaine base (commonly known as “crack”), heroin, cocaine, marihuana, Oxycodone (Percocet), and Alprazolam (Xanax) in the Jardines del Paraíso, Jardines de Monte Hatillo, Las Dalias, Monte Park, Jardines de Campo Rico, San Martín, Jardines de Country Club, Ernesto Ramos Antonini, La Esmeralda, and Nuestra Señora de Covadonga Public Housing Projects, Los Claveles Condominium, and Buen Consejo Ward between the years 2015 to 2021. 65 Inc. used violence (including murders) and intimidation to maintain control of the Public Housing Projects to control the drug trafficking in those areas. 65 Inc. distributed hundreds of kilograms of crack, cocaine, marihuana and heroin during the course of the conspiracy. Of the 55 co-defendants, 8 remain fugitives, 2 were arrested in May 2023, and the rest pleaded guilty. U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Christopher Robinson, Special Agent in Charge for ATF Miami Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Pedro Casablanca and Joseph Russell prosecuted the case. ###


title: Three Chinese Chemical Manufacturing Companies and Five Employees Charged with Conspiring to Manufacture Fentanyl

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Prosecution is Among the First of its Kind Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, two indictments were unsealed that detail criminal conspiracies by companies and employees based in China to manufacture and distribute fentanyl in the United States. This prosecution is among the first ever in the United States to charge Chinese chemical manufacturing companies with supplying precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl to the United States. The first indictment charges Anhui Rencheng Technology Co. (Rencheng), Ltd., Anhui Moker New Material Technology Co., Shutong Wang and Shifang Ruan with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, manufacture of fentanyl, and other related offenses. In addition, the indictment charges those same defendants, as well as Xinyu Zhao and Yue Gao, with illegally concealing their activities, including through customs fraud and introducing misbranded drugs into the United States marketplace. The indictment also charges Rencheng, Wang, and Ruan with conspiracy to distribute butonitazene, a controlled substance. The second indictment charges Hefei GSK Trade Co., Ltd, also known as “Hebei Gesuke Trading Co. Ltd.” and “Hebei Sinaloa Trading Co., Ltd.”, and Ruiqing Li with similar offenses, including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, manufacture of fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute a List I chemical, distribution of a List I chemical, customs fraud conspiracy, introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, and distribution of metonitazene, a controlled substance. Merrick Garland, United States Attorney General, Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Lisa O. Monaco, United States Deputy Attorney General, and Anne Milgram, Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Keechant, L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department, and Steven A. Nigrelli, Acting Superintendent, New York State Police, announced the charges. “As alleged, the defendants knowingly distributed the chemical building blocks of fentanyl to the United States and Mexico, even providing advice on how they should be used to manufacture this dangerous drug which inflicts untold tragedy in New York City, Long Island and across the nation,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This prosecution shows that the companies and individuals who fuel our nation’s deadly opioid epidemic—wherever they are located—will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” “When I announced in April that the Justice Department had taken significant enforcement actions against the Sinaloa Cartel, I promised that the Justice Department would never forget the victims of the fentanyl epidemic,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I also promised that we would never stop working to hold accountable those who bear responsibility for it. That includes not only going after the leaders of the Cartels, their drug and gun traffickers, their money launderers, security forces, and clandestine lab operators. It also includes stopping the Chinese chemical companies that are supplying the cartels with the building blocks they need to manufacture deadly fentanyl.” “Today’s announcement is a down payment on our pledge to use every tool in the government’s arsenal, in every corner of the globe, to protect American communities,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “The Justice Department will not rest or relent in investigating and prosecuting every link of the fentanyl supply chain, including the PRC companies and executives who produce and export vast quantities of the precursor chemicals the drug cartels need to peddle their poison. There can be no safe haven.” “Today’s announcement is a considerable step forward in our unrelenting fight against fentanyl, targeting the threat where it starts,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “These companies and individuals are alleged to have knowingly supplied drug traffickers, in the United States and Mexico, with the ingredients and scientific know-how needed to make fentanyl – a drug that continues to devastate families and communities across the United States, killing Americans from all walks of life. Targeting entire criminal drug networks, from the source of supply to the last mile of distribution, is critical to saving American lives. DEA will not stop until this crisis ends.” “Today’s charges are further proof of the unceasing, wide-ranging efforts the New York City Police Department will undergo to rid our city of illegal drugs,” stated NYPD Commissioner Sewell. “No matter where or how this poison is manufactured and distributed, we are united with our local, state, federal, and international law-enforcement partners in the fight against drug traffickers. To that end, I thank and commend the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York State Police, and everyone else involved in this case for their exceptional work.” New York State Police Acting Superintendent Nigrelli stated, “The prosecution of these criminals reinforces that we will continue to be vigilant in stopping the flow of dangerous, illegal drugs into our country. The manufacturing and distribution of these highly addictive drugs perpetuates a cycle of substance abuse which poses a significant threat to safety and quality of life within our communities. Drug trafficking organizations of any kind will not be tolerated. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and our law enforcement partners for their continuing commitment to identify, arrest and prosecute anyone who attempts to infiltrate these dangerous drugs into our nation.” The misuse of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, has resulted in one of the deadliest drug threats the United States has ever faced. It is a highly addictive synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. As alleged in the indictments, the defendant companies supplied precursor chemicals to the United States and Mexico, among other places, knowing they would be used to manufacture fentanyl. The defendant companies openly advertised their products all over the world, including to the United States and Mexico, on social media platforms. They also sent their chemical products to the United States and Mexico by boat and by air, using public and private international mail and package carriers. To prevent detection and interception of chemical products at the borders, the defendant companies employed deceptive and fraudulent practices, such as mislabeling packages, falsifying customs forms, and making false declarations at border crossings. The chemicals distributed by the defendants included all the materials necessary to manufacture fentanyl via the most common pathways. The defendant companies attempted to obfuscate their distribution of fentanyl precursors by adding “masking” molecules, which slightly alter the chemical signature of the underlying precursor chemicals. By changing the chemical signature, an altered substance could evade testing protocols and relevant regulations by appearing to be a new substance. Such masking molecules are easily removed, thus enabling the purchaser to return the substance to its original form as a fentanyl precursor. The defendant companies not only produced and distributed masked precursors, but also provided instructions about how to remove the masking molecules upon receipt, thus helping their customers to more effectively obtain banned precursors and produce fentanyl. The defendants also gave instructions on how to improve fentanyl yield and advice on which chemicals to buy to replace banned precursor products. Mexican drug trafficking organizations, including but not limited to the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, have increasingly availed themselves of the fentanyl precursors and masked fentanyl precursors developed and distributed by the defendant companies and companies like them. The chemicals provided by the defendant companies have enabled such cartels and other drug trafficking organizations to produce fentanyl in clandestine laboratories in Mexico on a massive scale, for subsequent distribution in the United States and elsewhere. The materials and instructions provided by the defendant companies and companies like them have directly caused and contributed to the influx of deadly fentanyl into the United States. The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering section. Assistant United States Attorneys Francisco Navarro, Erik Paulsen, Chand Edwards-Balfour, Adam Amir and Saritha Komatireddy are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from EDNY Special Agent George Dietz and Paralegal Specialist Bridget Donovan. The joint investigation was conducted by the DEA New York, DEA Mexico, DEA Diversion Control Division, DEA Special Testing and Research Laboratory, United States Customs and Border Protection New York field office, IRS New York Division, and United States Postal Inspection Services of New York. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided assistance. This effort is part of an OCDETF operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF The Defendants : Anhui RENCHENG Technology Co., Ltd. Hefei City, Anhui Province, China Anhui MOKER New Material Technology Co. Luyang District, Hefei City, Anhui Province, China HEFEI GSK Trade CO., LTD, also known as “Hebei Gesuke Trading Co. Ltd.” and “Hebei Sinaloa Trading Co., Ltd.” Shushan Economic Development Zone, Hefei City, Anhui Province, China SHUTONG WANG, also known as “王书通” China Shifang RUAN, also known as “Eva” and “阮世芳” China Xinyu Zhao, also known as “Sarah” and “赵新” China Yue Gao, also known as “Ellie” and “高悦,” China HEFEI GSK Trade CO., LTD, also known as “Hebei Gesuke Trading Co. Ltd.” and “Hebei Sinaloa Trading Co., Ltd.” China Ruiqing Li, also known as “李瑞青” China E.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 23-CR-263 and 23-CR-264 23-cr-263_anhi_moker_new_marketing_tech._co_et_al_indictment.pdf 23-cr-264_hefei_gsk_trade_co_ltd._et_al_indictment.pdf


title: Two Men Plead Guilty to Federal Drug Crimes

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Lorenzo B. Herbert, 33, of Beckley, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine and Rory Divaughn Spells, 35, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl and a quantity of methamphetamine. According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 28, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a residence near Beckley. Officers found quantities of fentanyl, a substance containing methamphetamine and $8,245. Herbert and Spells each admitted that they were mixing and preparing fentanyl for distribution in the residence’s kitchen at the time the search warrant was executed. Herbert and Spells further admitted the cash represented proceeds of previous drug trafficking activity. Herbert is scheduled to be sentenced on October 19, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine. Spells is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. The guilty pleas are the result of a drug trafficking investigation dubbed Southside Take Down. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), FBI Chicago, and the Chicago Police Department. United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is prosecuting the cases. The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-193 and 5:23-cr-72. ###