Chinese National Charged With Importing Fentanyl Precursors With Intent to Export

Minsu Fang, a Chinese national, was indicted for allegedly conspiring to import what the U.S. government believes to be "the largest amount of fentanyl precursors found in the Southern District of Texas and one of the largest in the country," DOJ announced July 22.

From August to October 2023, Fang allegedly worked with associates to ship over 2,000 kilograms of the precursor chemicals from China to the U.S. and "on to Mexico" in around 100 different shipments. The conspirators hid the shipments from U.S. authorities by declaring the goods to have a de minimis value and commingling the boxes with "similarly low valued import items," the U.S. alleged.

Fang faces four charges of conspiracy to: possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, distribute a controlled substance for unlawful importation, import a controlled substance and export a controlled substance. The Chinese national faces a maximum of life in prison for each count, along with a $10 million fine, DOJ said.