Two executives of a China-based chemical company were sentenced to prison for conspiring to ship fentanyl precursors to the United States in exchange for cryptocurrency, federal prosecutors announced Friday.
Qingzhou Wang, 37, was sentenced to 25 years, and Yiyi Chen, 33, received 15 years following their convictions in February. Both worked for Amarvel Biotech, which advertised fentanyl precursor sales online and disguised shipments as everyday items, such as dog food and motor oil.
“American families are burying loved ones because of fentanyl and individuals like Qingzhou Wang and Yiyi Chen who unlawfully market and supply the ingredients to make it,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “There is no place to hide for those who callously fuel the fentanyl epidemic.”
“These executives turned a Chinese chemical company into a pipeline of poison,” said DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole. “Americans were dying, but they kept selling.”
The DEA seized approximately $900,000 in cryptocurrency during the investigation.
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