This week, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intercepted a shipment of 50,000 kilograms of precursor chemicals used to manufacture drugs from China. These chemicals were intended for the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, known for producing methamphetamine (commonly known as crystal meth).
Special Agent Chad Plantz of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston stated, “For far too long, Mexican drug cartels have relied on these drugs to reap billions of dollars from our communities, leaving behind addiction, death, and despair. This operation provides HSI with a game-changing tool to proactively cut off the source of chemicals needed for drug production.”
It is reported that this smuggling interception was part of a long-term plan initiated in 2019 targeting suspicious precursor chemical transportation from countries like China and India to Mexican drug cartels. So far, ICE has seized over 1.7 million kilograms of chemicals used in the production of crystal meth and fentanyl, including a shipment of 44,000 kilograms intercepted at the port of Houston in March destined for the Sinaloa Cartel.
According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Chinese entities not only supply drug-producing chemicals to Mexican drug cartels but also assist them in money laundering to establish a drug empire targeting American consumers.
Recently, U.S. media have exposed espionage activities involving Chinese citizens or individuals directed by the Chinese Communist Party, ranging from biological terrorism, selling military secrets, infiltrating U.S. universities, to exploiting U.S. AI technology to incite political division online.
Last month, a report from Stanford University highlighted a culture of cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party among its students and faculty. The report warned that some students are willing to collaborate with the Chinese government to share U.S. intellectual property or provide research direction and progress, as well as guidance on how to implement these studies in China again. Others are coerced to work for them, especially if their families are in China.
This week, multiple reports emerged regarding China’s theft of U.S. secrets and incitement of political division. For instance, on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted two Chinese citizens for smuggling pathogenic agents capable of launching “agricultural terrorist attacks” into the U.S. Last weekend, a Chinese citizen and a British businessman were arrested for attempting to smuggle sensitive U.S. military parts to China. This week, the U.S. artificial intelligence company OpenAI ended an influence operation related to China using ChatGPT to generate social media posts aiming to create political discord on American networks.
U.S. Congresswoman Michele Steel expressed that the U.S. should have implemented tighter visa policies for Chinese students sooner. President Trump swiftly instructed the government to take decisive and necessary actions to halt the increasingly rampant espionage activities of the Chinese Communist Party.
Experts point out that the threat from China has penetrated various corners of the United States, and the U.S. should tackle the Chinese threat with the same intensity as combating and preventing terrorism.