XINGTAI, China, Nov 7, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – China on Thursday jailed nine
people, one with a suspended death sentence, for illegally selling fentanyl
to US buyers, the result of a landmark joint investigation over a drug that
has killed thousands of Americans.
The United States has long accused China of being the main source of the
deadly opioid, with President Donald Trump charging in August that Beijing
had reneged on its promise to crack down on the drug.
The court in northern Hebei province described the case as the first
successful joint investigation by Beijing and US authorities.
China’s narcotics bureau discovered in 2017 a criminal ring based in
Shanghai and eastern Jiangsu province and seized 11.9 kilogrammes of
fentanyl, acting on a tip-off from US border authorities, according to the
court.
A man surnamed Liu was given a death sentence with a two-year reprieve
while eight others were given prison terms ranging from six months to life,
the Xingtai Intermediate People’s Court said.
“Lured by high profit and huge demand from overseas buyers,” three people
surnamed Wang, Liu and Jiang trafficked fentanyl as well as alprazolam, a
prescription anxiety drug also known as Xanax, to US buyers, it said.
The sentencing comes amid ongoing negotiations over a potential US-China
deal after more than a year of trade conflict between the two countries, of
which fentanyl has been a sticking point.