A Chinese national was indicted for his part in a conspiracy involving the importation of what is believed to be the largest amount of fentanyl precursors found in South Texas following an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Minsu Fang aka Fernando, 48, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga on June 23. On June 19, authorities arrested him in New York City based on a Laredo warrant.
According to court documents, a federal grand jury charged Fang July 17 in a four-count indictment under seal with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance for purpose of unlawful importation, conspiracy to import a controlled substance and conspiracy to export a controlled substance.
The now unsealed charges allege Fang and his associates shipped over 2,000 kilograms of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China into the United States and on to Mexico in approximately 100 separate shipments between August and October 2023.
Fang and his co-conspirators were able to avoid law enforcement interdiction of the shipments by declaring them to have a de minimis value — less than $800 — and commingling the boxes containing the precursor chemicals with similarly low valued import items, according to the charges.
As a result, each of the shipments were allegedly admitted into the United States without a detailed inspection of the individual contents. Once in the United States, Fang, through co-conspirators, shipped the chemicals into Mexico, according to the charges.
If convicted, Fang faces up to life on each count and a $10 million fine.
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