DEA Busts a Massive Fentanyl Supplier in Massachusetts

On July 24, Acting U.S. Attorney David Sierleja announced that DEA agents had recently taken down a fentanyl wholesaler in Massachusetts. The investigation involved drug shipments from China to Massachusetts. Then from Massachusetts to various locations throughout Ohio. To get this far, the team of DEA agents and an Ohio drug task force spent a year investigating a drug supplier in Massachusetts.

The supplier, Bin Wang, a 42-year-old who operated numerous scheduled substance “supply companies,” along with research chemical supply companies. From a warehouse in Woburn, Massachusetts, Wang operated Cambridge Chemicals, Wonda Science, and other known and unknown companies.

In August 2016, after several overdoses in Ohio, law enforcement started cracking down on the mail supply in the United States—specifically, in this case, in Northeast Ohio. By November that year, law enforcement identified a supplier in China under the name “Gordon Jin.” They found that the entity owned several research chemical websites. After uncovering site details and making undercover purchases, the agents connected Jin to a Chinese national in Massachusetts. The man in Massachusetts received drugs, including fentanyl, from Jin and then reshipped them to locations inside the United States. One location was the state of Ohio.

Globalrc.net, one of the sites operated by “Jin”

Police read emails between Jin the man in Massachusetts. They learned that the stateside man ran a warehouse and and received drugs through private mail carriers. The one mentioned in court documents was FedEx. Police then intercepted packages of fentanyl, carfentanil, and other drugs—not all of which were similar. Many were legal in the form of chemicals designed for research but became illegal once the seller or user indicated a human consumption property. Even if the seller never mentions human consumption, research chemical sellers in the United States fare about as well as any other internet drug dealer.

DEA agents then arrested Bin Wang, the dealer in Massachusetts. Vice news pointed out that the arrest marked the first arrest of a Chinese national for selling fentanyl from China after the widespread drug ban in China.

“This investigation is a great example of a collaborative effort of federal agencies and a local drug task force working together to identify and track down people and organizations that are responsible for the ever-increasing shipments of very powerful synthetic opiates into Ohio,” said Don Hall, director of the Medway Drug Enforcement Agency.

According to law enforcement officials working on the case, the investigating is ongoing. They never mentioned any collaboration with police in China, so the remaining targets are unknown. Agents may have discovered that another person or persons received drugs from “Gordon Jin.” There is also the possibility that Wang worked alongside others in Massachusetts or elsewhere. Until further arrests take place, the case details will remain somewhat of a secret.

In a statement at the media event, DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Plancon said:

“The importation of opioids and other synthetic drugs from China has played a significant role in America’s current drug use epidemic. Over 60,000 people a year die from drug overdoses in this country, and halting all methods of drug trafficking, including by way of the Internet is a top priority of the DEA. This investigation makes clear that geographic and technological hurdles will not stop DEA and our partners from bringing to justice those responsible for the illegal distribution of drugs in the U.S.”