The US Department of Justice has commended the Fiji Police Force Narcotic Bureau and the Director of Public Prosecutions for the arrest of two Chinese nationals in Fiji who were players in a global supply chain of the drug, fentanyl.
Qingzhou Wang, 35, and Yiyi Chen, 31 were arrested on arrival in Hawaii by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for being the masterminds behind the production of the 200 kilograms of the drug.
Wang has been named as the principal executive of the China-based company, Hubei Amarvel Biotech Co. Ltd and, Chen, its a marketing manager were deported from Fiji on June 8.
They appeared before the Honolulu federal court on June 9, said the US Department of Justice.
They will appear in the Manhattan federal court following their arrival in the Southern District of New York.
During investigations, the DEA seized more than 200 kilograms of fentanyl-related precursor chemicals, a quantity that could contain enough deadly doses to kill 25 million Americans.
Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
The US Department of Justice has also charged Hubei Amarvel Biotech Co. Ltd, for selling the chemicals.
Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49.
