> Small chemical manufacturers in China have become shadow suppliers fueling clandestine labs in Mexico and beyond, churning out illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances that are contributing to the global drug trade and the U.S. opioid epidemic. Despite more than three decades of China regulating the production and distribution of fentanyl and its precursors, a sprawling cottage industry of small chemical plants thrives, partly bolstered by industrial policies aimed at boosting Beijing’s chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. Today, international drug cartels are increasingly turning to specialized Chinese criminal gangs for swift, cheap, and secure money laundering services.
Some even argue that the fentanyl crisis is China taking revenge on the West for the Opium Wars.
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> Small chemical manufacturers in China have become shadow suppliers fueling clandestine labs in Mexico and beyond, churning out illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances that are contributing to the global drug trade and the U.S. opioid epidemic. Despite more than three decades of China regulating the production and distribution of fentanyl and its precursors, a sprawling cottage industry of small chemical plants thrives, partly bolstered by industrial policies aimed at boosting Beijing’s chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. Today, international drug cartels are increasingly turning to specialized Chinese criminal gangs for swift, cheap, and secure money laundering services.
Some even argue that the fentanyl crisis is China taking revenge on the West for the Opium Wars.