China will impose new controls on three essential precursor chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. According to a White House announcement, the new regulations covering norfentanyl, 4-anilinopiperidine (4-AP), and 1-boc-4-AP will enter force on 1 September.
Chinese chemical manufacturers appear to be, directly or indirectly, the primary sources of precursors used in the illegal production of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. These compounds are shipped around the world, including to the US and to Mexico, where drug cartels operating clandestine labs use them to produce finished fentanyl at scale, before distributing it into and throughout the US.
Fentanyl and fentanyl analogues were shipped illegally into the US from China for years, but in May 2019 the Chinese government scheduled all fentanyl analogues as controlled substances. But according to a US congressional committee report that designation left ‘a gaping loophole’ for fentanyl precursors. As a result Chinese chemical manufacturers pivoted to selling these ingredients to the North American drug cartels.
In a 6 August statement, the White House called the new controls on fentanyl precursors ‘an important step in the right direction’. The move follows the resumption of bilateral cooperation on counternarcotics between the US and China, which was announced in November last year.
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