"Easy Access for Foreigners"... Japan Becomes Base for Chinese Fentanyl Exports to the U.S.

Signs of Chinese Organization Distributing Fentanyl in Nagoya, Japan
Nikkei: "Smuggling to the United States Using Japanese Base"

Korean police briefing drug-related measures at the National Assembly. Unrelated to specific article content.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported that a Chinese organization, which had been secretly exporting fentanyl?known as the 'zombie drug'?to the United States, appeared to have operated a base in Japan. On June 26, Nikkei stated that it had confirmed a connection in personnel and resources between 'Hubei Amabel Biotech' (hereafter Amabel), a Chinese company involved in fentanyl smuggling, and 'FIRSKY Co., Ltd.', a corporation based in Nagoya, Japan.

Executives of Amabel, a chemical products company in Wuhan, Hubei Province, were found guilty in January this year by a U.S. federal court in New York on charges of illegally importing fentanyl precursors into the United States. Nikkei, after investigating U.S. court documents and other materials, reported that it had discovered the existence of a 'Japanese boss' figure who invested in Amabel. According to Nikkei, this individual is believed to be a Chinese national who is introduced on social media as residing in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The report explained that he is a shareholder in 18 companies across Japan, China, and the United States, and serves as both a shareholder and representative of FIRSKY.

U.S. authorities are pursuing this individual, who is central to the case, but his whereabouts remain unknown. The newspaper also reported that the name of an auditor who resigned from a Wuhan subsidiary?wholly owned by FIRSKY?in July last year matches that of an Amabel executive who was found guilty in the United States on fentanyl-related charges. In addition, Nikkei noted that FIRSKY's sales representative used the same username on social media as someone from a company related to Amabel, and that factory photos posted on the website also matched.

FIRSKY was suddenly liquidated last July while the trial related to Amabel was ongoing. FIRSKY website

Previously, FIRSKY was suddenly liquidated in July last year, while the trial related to Amabel was ongoing. Nikkei reported that, after verifying these findings, a European research institute concluded that "Amabel and FIRSKY can be considered the same organization." An individual who had worked for a Mexican drug trafficking organization told Nikkei, "Japan is optimal as a smuggling base because it is easy for foreigners to come and go." Nikkei pointed out that "FIRSKY sold Amabel's drugs on specialized websites and conducted transactions in cryptocurrency," and indicated that, at least until FIRSKY closed in July last year, the key figure may have been directing the shipment of dangerous substances and the management of funds from Japan. The report added, "Until now, Japan had not been identified as being involved in illegal fentanyl transactions, but if it was indeed one of the distribution routes, the situation could change significantly."

Meanwhile, fentanyl abuse has become a serious social problem in the United States, and President Donald Trump imposed tariffs of 20?25% on China, Canada, and Mexico, citing fentanyl inflows as a reason. Nikkei analyzed, "Amabel executives were found to have established fentanyl smuggling networks in multiple countries, including Mexico," and suggested, "Japan may have been at the forefront of the fentanyl crisis that fueled U.S.-China tensions, and the issue, which has led to global friction such as trade wars, could also impact Japan."