Xaiofei Chen, a Chinese national, has been charged by a Texas grand jury for allegedly trying to distribute machinery to produce counterfeit drugs, including opioid pills potentially laced with fentanyl. His arrest at a Las Vegas trade show on October 29 highlights the ongoing fight against the rise of lethal counterfeit drugs in the United States.
According to the Department of Justice, Chen faces two charges for distributing pill press equipment and violating the Controlled Substances Act, which requires sellers to report certain equipment sales. Chen allegedly dismantled the equipment to avoid detection and shipped the parts separately, mislabeling them to hide their true contents. This highlights his attempt to bypass U.S. drug enforcement efforts.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton has openly condemned the devastating impact of the fentanyl epidemic, emphasizing the Department's dedication to prosecuting those involved in the supply chain of this deadly drug. "The fentanyl epidemic has taken hundreds of thousands of American lives, and this case reflects the department’s unwavering commitment to prosecuting every level of the deadly fentanyl supply chain," he said in a statement obtained by the Justice Department's news release. Fentanyl overdoses are alarmingly the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 49, evidencing the gravity of an epidemic that claimed approximately 107,000 Americans in 2023, as per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.
The role of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection was pivotal in uncovering Chen's operations. "The defendant allegedly sold equipment that can be used to make dangerous opioid pills harmful to American families," said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of HSI,in the same release.
If convicted of the charges, Chen may face up to four years in prison and a $250,000 fine, with a sentence that will be determined by a federal district court judge in line with the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. The trial for Chen is set to take place in El Paso, Texas, following her indictment on November 20 and subsequent detention in Nevada pending her court proceedings.
