Treasury imposes sanctions on Chinese national over fentanyl trafficking

The Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a Chinese national over allegations of trafficking fentanyl into the U.S.

The department said in a statement that chemist and chemical supplier Taotao Zhang shipped illegal synthetic opioids into the U.S. The Treasury also blacklisted Hong Kong-based Allyrise Technology Group Co., of which Zhang is director, alleging it was a front for his transactions. 

The measures imposed a freeze on the U.S. assets of Zhang and the Hong Kong company while barring Americans from doing business with them.

U.S. intelligence says China is the primary source for illicit fentanyl entering the country. President Trump has targeted Chinese President Xi Jinping in accusations that Beijing has failed to meet promises to stop the flow of the drug into the U.S., which the Communist government denies.

“The United States remains committed to protecting vulnerable Americans by targeting individuals peddling this deadly drug,” Treasury Deputy Secretary Justin Muzinich said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a separate statement that the U.S. seeks continued cooperation with China to end the supply chain threat, calling on Beijing to “regulate its chemical industry and reduce the diversion of precursors into the international black market.”

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said the move was coordinated with the U.S. attorney’s office for New Jersey and the Drug Enforcement Administration.