U.S. Senators: China-Linked Crime Network Fuels Fentanyl Crisis

U.S. senators warn that Chinese criminal groups are building a global "Silk Road of crime" with Latin American drug cartels. This network launders money and supplies chemicals to make fentanyl destined for the United States. The bipartisan Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control raised the alarm at a hearing on Tuesday. Officials said Chinese money brokers and cartels have merged operations. This partnership creates a system that blurs the line between legal trade and illegal activity. It efficiently moves cartel profits and the ingredients needed to manufacture deadly synthetic drugs. The findings highlight a major shift in transnational crime. The collaboration connects drug production in Latin America with financial and chemical supply chains linked to China.