China
Chinese drug dealers use ‘risqué ads’ to sell narcotics and fentanyl ingredients on U.S. social media
In a Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) exclusive, after reviewing hundreds of English and Chinese-language social media posts, the outlet found accounts claiming to represent Chinese drug manufacturers are using provocative images of women to advertise narcotics and fentanyl precursors on U.S. social media.
The DCNF identified several dozen LinkedIn accounts claiming to be saleswomen representing China-based manufacturers primarily located near Beijing or Wuhan. The accounts often featured images of womenand teenage girls in advertisements for a wide variety of controlled substances including 4-piperidone, which is used to manufacture fentanyl.
Many of the posts included suggestive language like “hot sale” to advertise the chemicals, as well as contact information on encrypted messaging apps and Chinese phone numbers. The companies these accounts claimed to represent included six of the Chinese chemical manufacturers indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in June and October for crimes related to trafficking fentanyl precursors and other substances.
In April 2023, a LinkedIn account purportedly representing Henan Ningnan Trade Co. Ltd. advertised xylazine hydrochloride, a veterinary tranquilizer that is used to cut fentanyl. pic.twitter.com/6mQu1UhDL3
— Philip Lenczycki 蔡岳 (@LenczyckiPhilip) December 14, 2023
The DCNF also identified accounts purportedly representing several of the Chinese chemical manufacturers on various other U.S. social media platforms.
For example, Facebook accounts purportedly representing Wuhan Mulei New Material Technology Co., Ltd. and Wuhan Kairunte New Material Co., Ltd. advertised xylazine and other substances.
Likewise, a YouTube account purportedly representing Hubei Amarvel Biotech Co., Ltd. advertised controlled substances like PMK. One ad stated that the company offered “customized packages” for its products including dog food bags, tubs of nuts and other “creative designs.”
In March 2023, a LinkedIn account purportedly representing Henan Ruijiu Biotechnology Co. Ltd. advertised the synthetic cathinone, eutylone, which is a Schedule I substance. pic.twitter.com/bSCgccfKl5
— Philip Lenczycki 蔡岳 (@LenczyckiPhilip) December 14, 2023
A Meta spokesperson told the DCNF by email that the social media platform had reviewed the accounts that the DCNF had flagged and “removed them for violating our policies.”
A YouTube spokesperson also told the DCNF by email that they’d “terminated” the accounts the DCNF had flagged, citing various platform policy violations including “marketing the sale of regulated pharmaceuticals without a prescription.”
“Channels that repeatedly violate our policies are subject to termination, which is what happened in this case,” the YouTube spokesperson said.
DCNF adds:
It’s not clear if the LinkedIn accounts identified by the DCNF have any official relationship with the Chinese drug manufacturers they claim to represent. Neither the accounts nor the Chinese manufacturers responded to the DCNF’s request for comment.
After the DCNF reached out to LinkedIn for comment, the social media platform immediately removed the accounts that had been flagged.
“Whenever we see posts, ads or accounts that don’t meet our policies, we remove them, as we did in this case,” a LinkedIn spokesperson told the DCNF by email.
A Chinese national living in California was arrested this week for allegedly orchestrating a plot to ship weapons to North Korea directly from the United States. Shenghua Wen, a 41-year-old illegal migrant, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of two decades in federal prison, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The Daily Caller News Foundation reports that Wen allegedly exported firearms, ammunition and other military items bound for North Korea out of Long Beach, California. In a press release following the arrest, DOJ officials suggested that Wen was acting at the behest of North Korean officials.
“We have arrested a defendant who allegedly acted at the direction of the North Korean government by conspiring to illegally ship firearms, ammunition, and other military equipment to North Korea,” U.S. attorney Martin Estrada stated. “I am grateful to our law enforcement partners for stopping this threat and their tireless commitment to the security of our nation.”
“The significance of this arrest and discovery of this scheme cannot be overstated,” FBI Los Angeles assistant director in charge Akil Davis stated. “Not only did the investigative team prevent additional restricted items going to the North Korean regime, but they gathered valuable intelligence for the United States and our allies.”
“The defendant’s alleged attempts to illicitly export firearms and military technology from the United States at the behest of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea constitute an alarming violation of sanctions and export control laws,” special agent in charge Gregory Dunlap of the Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) stated. “OEE is committed to working with our federal partners to identify and disrupt illegal export schemes that undermine regional stability and our national security interests at home and abroad.”
The Daily Caller adds that the number of Chinese nationals illegally crossing into the U.S. reached a peak in fiscal year 2024, according to Customs and Border Protection. Border Patrol agents encountered nearly 38,000 Chinese nationals.
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