A Marvel Biotech, a Chinese company, was accused of supplying fentanyl precursors to the US, contributing to the ongoing opioid crisis. The company marketed its products openly online, promising 'stealth shipping' and guaranteed customs clearance. While two executives were convicted in a US sting operation, the case highlights the scale of the problem, with China's booming chemical industry playing a key role in supplying the fentanyl trade.
It touted for customers in the public marketplace of the open internet, where it sought a foothold in the lucrative trade of fentanyl ingredients – the starting point in a supply chain that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.
The issue has escalated to a major point of geopolitical tension between the US and China and was the pretext given by US President Donald Trump25 per cent tariffs at Canada and Mexico According to documents filed in court, the pair shipped more than 200 kilograms of precursor chemicals to California after negotiating a deal with undercover agents – enough to make 25 million lethal doses of fentanyl, US authorities said.
Fentanyl precursors are mostly made in China, though India has been identified by US agencies as an emerging source. Trump has claimed the fentanyl coming across the border from Canada is also “massive”. But US customs data shows the opposite. In 2024, border authorities intercepted about 19 kilograms of fentanyl at the US northern border , compared with almost 9600 kilograms at the south-west border with Mexico .
A tray of crystal flakes that a Sinaloa cartel cook said was a chemical called sodium hydroxide, a key fentanyl ingredient, sits on a countertop in Culiacan, Mexico.The committee’s final report found that China was directly subsidising the manufacturing and export of fentanyl materials through tax rebates – though some experts have disputed the link between providing subsidies and incentivising criminal activity.
FENTANYL CHINA DRUG TRAFFICKING OPIOID CRISIS GEO POLITICS
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