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According to a report published by the US select committee, external on the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese government provides subsidies to companies openly trafficking illicit synthetic drugs. The report found tens of thousands of posts online advertising illegal drugs and pre-cursors.
The study claims that “wholly state owned” companies are involved in the trafficking of drugs. The Chinese government has consistently denied knowledge of the illegal drug trade.
Many like Sammy fall into the drug trade seemingly by accident, initially unaware of the products they are peddling online and their deadly consequences. But others are more aware of what they are selling.
Each morning Sara [not her real name] posts photos and videos across her social media platforms advertising drugs; synthetic cannabinoids, precursors for MDMA, and nitazenes, a synthetic opioid considered up to 50 times more potent than even fentanyl.
“We have many customers in Britain and have cooperated with them many times,” boasts Sara, an international trade graduate, now working for an online platform.
When challenged, she is not drawn into a moral discussion about selling drugs. She claims she never asks customers how they use what she sells.
The UK National Crime and Agency (NCA) believes drug dealers are mixing the synthetic opioid with street drugs such as heroin.
According to the NCA, there have been more than 100 deaths linked to nitazenes over the past nine months, leading health professionals to warn the UK may be facing a drug-related crisis.
The BBC has found hundreds of adverts for nitazenes online. Suppliers contacted claim to send shipments through courier services, mislabelling deliveries and hiding drugs in fake packaging. The BBC has also seen courier tracking numbers provided by online sales representative in China claiming to have made successful deliveries across the UK.
Sara entered the business after university. She thought she was selling chemicals. She has worked in the industry for two and a half years. “I know most of the products,” she says.
“My boss has been running this company for more than seven years, and he knows lots of customers and freight forwarders. If the product is detained, he will lose the most. So he will try his best to make the product reach you smoothly,” she adds.
In March, the UK government classified 15 synthetic opioids, external as Class A drugs. Under the Misuse of Drugs act anyone caught supplying or producing the drugs could face up to life in prison. Those caught in possession face seven years.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), China has between 40,000 and 100,000 pharmaceutical companies.
“China has long had one of the most significant pharmaceutical industries in Asia, as well as one of the largest chemical industries. And we’ve seen industry growth in other countries of the region,” said Jeremy Douglas in late 2023, the then regional representative of the UNODC .
“While both industries are regulated, the challenge is significant given the sheer scale, and at the same time there are a number of ways to move products. Parcel post, air freight and shipping containers are all moving globally in high volumes,” he said.
Mr Douglas says that synthetic drugs are disrupting the traditional drug trade. Outside of China, synthetic drugs offer opportunities for both traditional crime organisations and upstarts able to buy directly from producers half a world away.
“Synthetics like fentanyl have several advantages over traditional drugs – compact, easily shippable, pre-existing demand, replaceable. They’re attractive to traffickers.”
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