Evidence points to increasing collaboration between U.S. and Chinese officials following last week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing.
As an indication of increasing collaboration between the United States and China followinglast week’s meeting in Beijing, the U.S. Department of Justice stated on Wednesday that an alleged drug trafficker has been arrested in China, who is wanted by the U.S. in relation to a significant shipment of illicit drugs entering the state of Georgia.
According to court documents, Wei Gong, also referred to as David Gong, is accused of bringing in over 10 kilograms of strong stimulant substances, which he is said to have sold to an undercover officer and another individual involved in the case.
According to the Justice Department, the United States informed Chinese officials about Gong’s alleged actions in January, resulting in his arrest in February in China, where he is facing corresponding Chinese charges. There is no sign that Gong will be handed over to the US, but the collaboration and its public recognition are unusual between the two cautious superpowers.
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This detention highlights the effectiveness of global collaboration in dismantling international drug trafficking operations,” stated Special Agent Jae Chung from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Atlanta office. “In partnership with our law enforcement partners in China, we managed to locate and take responsibility for a person who tried to use the Savannah Port for illicit purposes.
Gong, 45 years old and living in Tianjin, is also accused of promoting other medications, such as fentanyl derivatives, and is said to have intended to transport around 1,000 kilograms through the Georgia port. Prosecutors are requesting the seizure ofcryptocurrencytaken during the inquiry via the criminal charge and a connected civil seizure proceeding.
The Department of Justice did not reveal the exact amount of cryptocurrency that was taken. Nevertheless, it mentioned that documents showed Gong conducted “millions of dollars in transactions” from 2020 until his arrest earlier this year. The indictment also noted that the U.S. seized at least, “but not limited to”, 1.00001188 bitcoin. At present prices, this is approximately US$77,200.
The Department of Justice also did not explain how Gong concealed the drugs transported through the country’s fourth largest container port, although it mentioned that he attempted to bypass customs delays and prevent his shipments from being confiscated by utilizing intermediaries to assist in importing the narcotics fromChina.
“we appreciate the professionalism and dedication shown by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security’s Narcotics Control Bureau in building their case and detaining Gong,” said US Attorney Margaret Heap.
The administration of Trump has intensified demands on Beijing to enforce stricter controls on imports entering the United States, typically routed throughMexico, of fentanyl and its components and related money laundering.
As per court documents, Gong operated a chemical company and brought in ethylone and N-dimethylpentylone, which are classified as Schedule I controlled substances, along with synthetic cathinones, into the Augusta and Savannah regions. Synthetic cathinones are designer drugs that replicate the effects of cocaine, Ecstasy, or amphetamines.
In February 2025, the US PresidentDonald TrumpImposed a 10% tax on almost all Chinese imports, stating that fentanyl precursors were the cause. A month later, this was increased to 20% when the administration claimed China was not making enough progress. In November, China agreed to implement stricter regulations on 13 fentanyl substances, leading the tariff to decrease back to 10% as a sign of “good faith,” but it was later declared unlawful by the US Supreme Court in February.
In the case revealed on Wednesday, due to the absence of an extradition agreement and concerns regarding sovereignty, these are effectively two separate legal proceedings. The U.S. charges, filed in the Southern District of Georgia, pertain to conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances, and conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances again. Gong is unlikely to encounter these charges unless he returns to U.S. territory.
Each of the five charges can result in a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, with no possibility of parole, plus a fine of up to one million US dollars.
Another person involved in the case was Conway Rhinehart, a 45-year-old resident of Georgia, who received a 108-month prison sentence in January 2024 following a guilty plea to drug distribution charges.
This joint effort with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security demonstrates our common determination to prosecute traffickers, confiscate their illegal gains, and disrupt networks that traffic fentanyl and other hazardous materials to theUnited States, said Special Agent David King from the DEA’s Asia-Pacific unit.
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This piece was first published in the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), a top news outlet covering China and Asia.
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