Five Suspects Detained in Collaborative US-China Drug Trafficking Probe

Coordinated US-China anti-narcotics efforts result in five arrests and the seizure of synthetic opioids including protonitazene and bromazolam from various sites in both countries.

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025.

(photo credit: REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN)

ByREUTERS

MAY 11, 2026 13:53

Authorities from China and the United States have detained five individuals and confiscated a quantity of illegal drugs during a collaborative probe into smuggling and trafficking, according to China's official Xinhua news agency on Monday.

Synchronized raids took place in China's Liaoning and Guangdong provinces as well as in the US states of Florida and Nevada during early April, resulting in the capture of two Chinese citizens and three American citizens, Xinhua noted.

Among the seized substances were protonitazene, a powerful synthetic opioid, and bromazolam, a synthetic benzodiazepine, the report stated.

This announcement precedes by a few days a planned trip to China by US President Donald Trump, who earlier in 2025 levied extra tariffs on Chinese imports, blaming Beijing for not curbing the supply of precursor chemicals used to produce the lethal opioid fentanyl destined for the US.

Beijing has rejected Washington's claims regarding fentanyl, describing it as an American issue that US leaders must address themselves.

Tariffs as a Tool in the Battle Against Drugs

In October of the previous year, Trump consented to reduce the fentanyl-related tariff by half in return for China's commitment to intensify actions against illegal drug networks. However, the US Supreme Court nullified that tariff in February.

Xinhua disclosed in March that China's central Hubei province initiated a targeted initiative against fentanyl precursor traffickers, approving the detention of seven individuals by February.

State media indicated in early April that the United States had extradited a Chinese national wanted for suspected involvement in drug smuggling and trafficking back to China.