US sanctions on Chinese entities accused in fentanyl trafficking ‘unreasonable’
- Washington on Tuesday announced sanctions against several entities and individuals based in China, Mexico
- Beijing warns sanctions could create ‘obstacles’ for further cooperation with Washington
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They were accused of manufacturing and selling equipment such as pill press machines and die moulds used to produce counterfeit pharmaceutical tablets laced with fentanyl for shipment to the US, the department said.
“If someone commits a crime with a knife, it is very clear whether the person who wields the knife or the manufacturer of the knife should be sanctioned and punished,” she added.
Between 2016 and 2021, the rate of fentanyl-related overdose deaths nearly quadrupled from 5.7 per 100,000 people to 21.6, according to a CDC report released earlier this month.
The US Treasury Department said one of the newly sanctioned Chinese companies – Shenzhen-based Yason General Machinery Co – had sold equipment to a Mexican-based supplier with connections to the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s largest drug trafficking organisations.
The department also accused pill press supplier Youli Technology Development Co, based in the southern city of Huizhou, of shipping products using methods meant to “evade law enforcement scrutiny.”
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However, the report added that the primary materials continued to be sourced from China, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration has said it believes there has been increased cooperation between Chinese drug traffickers and the Mexican cartels.
“We remain committed to using all authorities against enablers of illicit drug production to disrupt this deadly global production and counter the threat posed by these drugs,” said US Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence Brian E. Nelson.