Chinese court sentences 2 for trafficking precursor chemicals abroad

A Chinese court has sentenced and fined two individuals for trafficking precursor chemicals abroad, following intensified counter-narcotics cooperation between China and the United States.

The Jiang'an District People's Court in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, convicted the pair of illegal operations on Friday, sentencing one to six years in prison and the other to five and a half years, Xinhua said on Tuesday.

The court found that the two organized the sale of controlled stimulant substances in 123 transactions, totaling more than 1.69 million yuan ($250,600), from November 2021 to July 2024.

The case gained attention after the US Drug Enforcement Administration reported a related case of trafficking sensitive chemicals to China's Ministry of Public Security in June 2023. The ministry took the matter seriously and quickly directed police in Hubei to investigate.

Under the probe, a father-and-son duo surnamed Xia was identified as highly suspicious of trafficking large quantities of non-regulated precursor chemicals overseas. Since May 2021, the pair had registered multiple companies and hired employees to post advertisements for non-regulated chemicals on domestic and foreign websites, fabricating their production, operation, and transport capabilities. After overseas buyers placed orders, they sourced the chemicals domestically and shipped them abroad through international freight forwarders. Police later discovered that the chemicals the pair were trafficking included controlled stimulant substances.