On December 19, 2024, in New York, the acting prosecutor for the southern district of the United States and the director of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced that three international drug traffickers – Chinese citizen Gao Xiang (35 years old), Ukrainian national Oleksandr Klochkow (34 years old), and Latvian national Igors Kricfalusijs (32 years old) – have been charged with conspiring to import precursors of fentanyl and methamphetamine from China and manufacturing and distributing these deadly drugs in the United States.
They are also accused of importing fentanyl precursor chemicals and conspiring to launder money. The three were arrested in Morocco and extradited to the United States on December 11, appearing in court in New York for the first time on Tuesday (December 17).
According to the indictment, fentanyl poses the most deadly drug threat to the United States, and its production relies on precursor chemicals, mainly supplied by Chinese chemical manufacturers. These manufacturers, through chemical alterations, create new compounds that are not yet regulated but can produce new and even more deadly drugs than fentanyl, thereby circumventing international sanctions. In this way, they produce new precursor chemicals for fentanyl production and supply them to international drug traffickers through a network of brokers.
Gao Xiang and his cohorts are international drug traffickers who facilitated large-scale transactions of fentanyl and methamphetamine precursor chemicals through their relationships with Chinese chemical manufacturers. They planned to transport these precursors to New York, Austria, and Spain for local manufacturing and distribution of the drugs.
The indictment alleges that throughout the conspiracy, the defendants repeatedly provided factories capable of simultaneously producing tons of deadly narcotic precursors to traffickers, acknowledging that these precursors were designed to evade drug import sanctions and specifically intended for the production of fentanyl and methamphetamine. For example, at a meeting, when Gao admitted that fentanyl was illegal in the US and China, Klochkow explained that fentanyl “must be (manufactured locally), not (purchased from abroad).”
The defendants also provided detailed chemical formulas and guidance to assist traffickers in converting precursors into finished fentanyl and methamphetamine, which would be distributed throughout New York.
According to the indictment, the defendants face charges including conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, facing a minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment; conspiring to import fentanyl and methamphetamine precursors, facing up to 20 years in prison; importing fentanyl precursors, facing up to 20 years in prison; and conspiracy to launder money, facing up to 20 years in prison.
Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Edward Y. Kim, stated that fentanyl has had a catastrophic impact on the lives of New Yorkers, with the defendants actively seeking ways to circumvent the law by importing large quantities of deadly chemicals into the United States. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized that the proliferation of fentanyl is a nationwide crisis and that those responsible will be held accountable under the law. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco pointed out that this operation demonstrates America’s determination to combat transnational drug crimes.
DEA Director Anne Milgram added that the defendants collaborated with Chinese chemical manufacturers to procure significant quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine precursor chemicals and instructed traffickers on how to convert these precursors into finished products, posing a threat to community safety in the United States.