Mexico hands suspected Chinese fentanyl kingpin over to US authorities, minister says
By Laura Sharman, Rocio Ruiz, CNN
(CNN) — Mexico has handed an alleged Chinese fentanyl kingpin over to authorities in the United States, where he is wanted for money laundering and drug trafficking.
Zhi Dong Zhang is accused in court documents of exporting, transporting and distributing more than 1,000 kg of cocaine and 1,800 kg of fentanyl as well as laundering more than $150 million in illegal annual profits, according to CNNE.
Investigators claim the Chinese national, known by the alias “Brother Wang,” operated in the US, Central America, Europe, China and Japan and that he formed alliances with Mexican criminal organizations to carry out trafficking, the records show.
Zhang was first arrested in Mexico last October and granted house arrest while awaiting a court hearing for his extradition to the US.
On July 11 this year he escaped from house arrest and was later recaptured in Cuba, National Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said in a post on X.
“Today he was handed over to the United States authorities,” Harfuch said on Thursday.
He thanked the Cuban government for its “valuable cooperation” in recapturing Zhang.
CNN has reached out to the US Department of Justice for comment.
Fentanyl is a leading cause of US overdose deaths and Washington has accused Beijing of failing to curb the flow of precursor chemicals used in its production.
US President Donald Trump said fentanyl will be top of his agenda when he meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping next week as part of a trip to Asia, the White House said, according to Reuters.
“The first question I’m going to be asking him about is fentanyl,” Trump said. “I’m putting it right at the front of the list.”
Beijing has accused Washington of attempting to “blackmail” China over the issue.
Asked about Zhang’s case at a regular press briefing by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, a spokesperson said they were “not aware of the specific situation.”
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