DAYTON, Ohio – Six Chinese Nationals and Two Pharmaceutical Companies Charged with Fentanyl Trafficking and Money Laundering Conspiracies
A federal grand jury in Dayton returned charges against six Chinese nationals and two Chinese pharmaceutical companies in narcotics and money laundering conspiracies involving chemical agents used to manufacture and cut fentanyl.
The indictment, returned on September 2025, charges the defendants with conspiring to manufacture, to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl mixture, which is a federal crime punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison.
The defendants, which include Shandong Believe Chemical Company Pte Ltd. and Shandong Ranhang Biotechnology Co. Ltd., allegedly openly marketed, sold and delivered various chemical precursors that they intended for domestic and foreign drug traffickers to use in the manufacture and production of fentanyl for ultimate distribution in the United States.
Drug traffickers use chemical precursors to manufacture fentanyl and other substances known as “cut” to increase the quantity of retail doses available for sale. For example, drug traffickers often “cut” fentanyl with medetomidine, an animal tranquilizer that is up to 200 times more powerful than morphine. Medetomidine has the potential to increase the yield of a single kilogram of fentanyl at least twenty-fold, producing millions of dosages for street level sales.
Three defendants also allegedly attempted to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization by selling chemical precursors and medetomidine to an individual who claimed to be a member of the Cártel del Golfo, a violent transnational organization based in Mexico involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, human smuggling and other crimes.
The defendants are Hanson Zhao, Gao Yanpeng, Xia Yi, Zhang Jian, Wang Zhoalan, and Zhang Chunhai. The companies allegedly used these individuals to solicit, negotiate, and secure payments for illegal cutting agents from U.S. customers. It is alleged that the foreign nationals generally directed U.S. customers to pay for the cutting agents using cryptocurrency transferred to crypto wallets under their control for ultimate deposit into financial institutions located overseas.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Dominick S. Gerace II, and the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cincinnati Division, Jason Cromartie, announced the charges.
The defendants face up to 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and international money laundering, and up to life in prison for the fentanyl trafficking charges.
Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News