Fentanyl Trafficking: Beijing slams US indictments of Chinese firms

Beijing criticised US authorities yesterday for charging four Chinese companies and eight individuals with trafficking chemicals used in manufacturing fentanyl, calling the arrests "arbitrary detention".

The US Justice Department is intensifying a crackdown on the synthetic opioid responsible for hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths in America over the past decade.

Its latest move is the first time Washington has charged Chinese firms for trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals to the United States, rather than Mexico, the origin of most fentanyl found in America.

Two of the eight individuals were arrested and taken into custody in Honolulu, Hawaii.

"This is a typical example of arbitrary detention and unilateral sanctions," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

"It is completely illegal and seriously damages the basic human rights of Chinese citizens and Chinese companies. China strongly condemns this."

The four companies are Hubei Amarvel Biotech, Anhui Rencheng Technology, Anhui Moker New Material Technology and Hefei GSK Trade.

They have been charged in three separate cases filed in federal court in New York.

Among the eight people indicted are executives and employees of the four firms.

The pair who were arrested are employees of Hubei Amarvel Biotech and were detained in Hawaii after being expelled from Fiji on June 8.