Litia Cava 
In a joint operation, the Fiji Police Narcotics Bureau, in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), has led to the apprehension of two Chinese nationals involved in fentanyl manufacturing.
Acting Commissioner Juki Fong Chew applauded the partnership with the DEA, emphasizing its crucial role in the arrests.
The Justice Department announced the significant development, disclosing the expulsion of Wang and Chen, both Chinese citizens, from Fiji on June 8.
Acting Commissioner of Police, Juki Fong Chew.
Following their expulsion, the DEA arrested the individuals for their alleged involvement in fentanyl production.
These arrests come on the heels of extensive investigations, wherein the DEA seized over 200 kilograms of fentanyl-related precursor chemicals.
This quantity alone could contain enough deadly doses to end the lives of 25 million Americans.
Fentanyl, an immensely addictive synthetic opioid, has wreaked havoc across communities in the United States, being 50 times more potent than heroin and a staggering 100 times more potent than morphine.
The drug and its analogues have become the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 49, as per recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2022 alone, the overdose epidemic fueled by fentanyl claimed the lives of approximately 110,000 Americans.
According to the department, the indictments unsealed in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York mark a historic milestone, as they represent the first-ever prosecutions of China-based chemical manufacturing companies and nationals of the People’s Republic of China for trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States.
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