WEBVTT CHINA THROUGH ENFORCEMENT.>> THIS IS TWO MILLIGRAMS OFFENTANYL IN A VIAL YOU CAN SEEIT IS STICKING TO THE SIDES AS ARESIDUE.JAYNE: YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE IT,IT'S SUCH A SMALL AMOUNT.EARLIER THIS YEAR, DEA CHEMISTSSHOWED US HOW LITTLE OF THESYNTHETIC OPIOID FENTANYL CANKILL.AND IN WEST BALTIMORE, ARECOVERY USER, PHAEDRA,DESCRIBED HOW QUICKLY THE DRUGCAUSES OVERDOSE.SO THIS WAS AS SOON AS YOU TOOKIT?>> YES.BAM.MAYBE WITHIN THE NEXT 5 MINUTESI WAS DEAD.JAYNE: PHAEDRA WAS SAVED BYNALOXONE.THE CDC ESTIMATES, NATIONWIDE,FENTANYL OVERDOSE KILLED 20,000PEOPLE IN 2016.THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICEANNOUNCED TODAY INDICTMENTS OF 2CHINESE NATIONALISTS ON CHARGESTHEY MANUFACTURED FENTANYL INCHINESE LABS, THEN USED NORTHAMERICANDISTIRIBUTUORS TO TRAFFIC THEDRUG IN MARYLAND AND OTHERSTATES.FOUR CASES INVOLVE FATALOVERDOSE.>> FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE HAVEINDICTED MAJOR CHINESE FENTANYLTRAFFICKERS WHO HAVE BEEN USINGTHE INTERNET TO TRANSPORTFENTANYL AND FENTANYL ANALOGS TODRUG TRAFFICKERS, AND TOINDIVIDUAL CUSTOMERS IN THEUNITED STATEJAYNE: THE CHINESE NATIONALS ARENOT IN CUSTODY.IT'S UNLIKELY THEY WILL EVER BEBROUGHT TO THE UNITED STATES FORTRIAL AS THEIR IS NO EXTRADITIONDEAL WITH CHINA.THE INDICTEMTNS COME AS THETRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS UNDERPRESSURE TO PRESENT AN OPOISOPIOID CRISIS PLAN.THROUGH MID-SEPTEMBER, THEREHAVE BEEN 380 OVERDOSE DEATHSRELATED TO FENTANYL.
Indictments of Chinese nationals have Maryland ties
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Updated: 5:54 PM EDT Oct 17, 2017
For the first time, federal grand juries have indicted two Chinese nationals on charges of distributing the deadly drug fentanyl in Maryland and other states.The indictments, announced Tuesday, are the first to try to choke off the drug supply from China through enforcement.The U.S. Department of Justice said the Chinese nationals manufactured fentanyl in Chinese labs and used North American distributors to traffic the drug in Maryland and other states. Four cases involve fatal overdoses."For the first time, we have indicted major Chinese fentanyl traffickers, who have been using the internet to transport fentanyl and fentanyl analogs to drug traffickers and to individual customers in the United States," Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said.The Chinese nationals are not in custody. It's unlikely they will ever be brought to the United States for trial as there is no extradition deal with China. The indictments come as the Trump administration is under pressure to present an opioid crisis plan.In May, Drug Enforcement Administration chemists showed the 11 News I-Team that a very small amount of the synthetic opioid fentanyl is deadly.And in west Baltimore, a recovery user, Phaedra Ward, described how quickly the drug causes overdose. Ward was saved by the administration of naloxone."Maybe within the next five minutes, I was dead," Ward said.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that fentanyl overdoses killed 20,000 people nationwide in 2016.
BALTIMORE — For the first time, federal grand juries have indicted two Chinese nationals on charges of distributing the deadly drug fentanyl in Maryland and other states.
The indictments, announced Tuesday, are the first to try to choke off the drug supply from China through enforcement.
The U.S. Department of Justice said the Chinese nationals manufactured fentanyl in Chinese labs and used North American distributors to traffic the drug in Maryland and other states. Four cases involve fatal overdoses.
"For the first time, we have indicted major Chinese fentanyl traffickers, who have been using the internet to transport fentanyl and fentanyl analogs to drug traffickers and to individual customers in the United States," Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said.
The Chinese nationals are not in custody. It's unlikely they will ever be brought to the United States for trial as there is no extradition deal with China. The indictments come as the Trump administration is under pressure to present an opioid crisis plan.
In May, Drug Enforcement Administration chemists showed the 11 News I-Team that a very small amount of the synthetic opioid fentanyl is deadly.
And in west Baltimore, a recovery user, Phaedra Ward, described how quickly the drug causes overdose. Ward was saved by the administration of naloxone.
"Maybe within the next five minutes, I was dead," Ward said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that fentanyl overdoses killed 20,000 people nationwide in 2016.
