Fenยญtanyl overยญdosยญes have resurยญfaced as the leadยญing cause of death between indiยญvidยญuยญals aged 18 to 45 in the Unitยญed States, with Chiยญna once servยญing as the priยญmaยญry source of this synยญthetยญic opiยญoid. On the othยญer hand, in 2019, under mountยญing presยญsure from the Unitยญed States, the Chiยญnese Govยญernยญment took deciยญsive action by impleยญmentยญing strict regยญuยญlaยญtions that effecยญtiveยญly banned the export of this fenยญtanyl.
Nonetheยญless, the void left by Chinaโs ban was quickยญly filled by Mexยญiยญcan drug carยญtels, who saw it as a chance to make subยญstanยญtial profยญits. The carยญtels startยญed proยญducยญing their own fenยญtanyl using chemยญiยญcal ingreยญdiยญents importยญed from Chiยญna, known as preยญcurยญsors.
Blockchain Tech analyยญsis comยญpaยญny Ellipยญtic idenยญtiยญfied in a report on May 23 over 90 Chiยญnese chemยญiยญcal corยญpoยญraยญtions that took part in supยญplyยญing the preยญcurยญsors, offerยญing digยญiยญtal curยญrenยญcy as a priยญmaยญry payยญment method.
โOur researchers received offers to supยญply large quanยญtiยญties of one parยญticยญuยญlar fenยญtanyl preยญcurยญsor. This chemยญiยญcal is not used in the manยญuยญfacยญture of any othยญer prodยญucts, and is a conยญtrolled subยญstance in most counยญtries. Nonetheยญless, it remains unregยญuยญlatยญed in Chiยญna.โ
โ the Ellipยญtic report says.
90 percent of precursor suppliers provided cryptocurrency wallet addresses for payment
Furยญther in the report, Ellipยญtic statยญed that durยญing the negoยญtiยญaยญtions, the supยญpliยญers raised no conยญcerns about how the preยญcurยญsors would be used after the sale, with some of them even praisยญing them as the best-sellยญing prodยญuct that can be used to proยญduce fenยญtanyl.
Othยญer supยญpliยญers likeยญwise talked about how they sold the opiยญoid to cusยญtomers from Mexยญiยญco. The researchers requestยญed the supยญpliยญers whether Mexยญiยญco-based buyยญers paid in crypยญtocurยญrenยญcy, to which one respondยญed:
โThey always use USDT or Bitยญcoin (BTC) to pay. It is no probยญlem.โ
โ the supยญpliยญers informed Ellipยญtic researchers.
Addiยญtionยญalยญly, 90 perยญcent of Chiยญna-based chemยญiยญcal manยญuยญfacยญturยญers that agreed to supยญply the fenยญtanyl ingreยญdiยญents to Ellipยญtic offered a crypยญtocurยญrenยญcy walยญlet address to receive the payยญment. Reports by the analyยญsis provider, Bitยญcoin (BTC) was the most trendยญing means of payยญment by some disยญtance, folยญlowed by Tetherโs (USDT) (USDT).
In the end, the research found that these crypยญtocurยญrenยญcy walยญlets received thouยญsands of payยญments, with a total amount of greater than $27 Milยญlion, soarยญing 450 perยญcent year-over-year.
