Law enforcement has apprehended Zhi Dong Zhang, aka “Big Bro Wang,” in Cuba. Moreover, he’s one of several notorious actors feeding today’s dangerous international drug trade. In Mexico, accusations tie him to Mexico’s Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels. Zhang was recently arrested following a brazen breakout from house arrest in Mexico earlier this year. He was awaiting extradition to the United States on money laundering charges.
Zhang, believed to be one of the world’s largest international money laundering kingpins, had been on the run since his breakout. As noted above, he is still wanted in the U.S., where an arrest warrant for him is still active. The U.S. government is increasing its efforts to cut drug trafficking routes connected to Mexico and China. They are particularly alarmed at the scourge of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin.
As a result, fentanyl quickly rose to the painful epicenter of America’s public health crisis. It further overtook heroin and prescription opioids, like oxycodone, to become the number one cause of overdose deaths. It is far easier and cheaper to mass produce than heroin, which is why it has become the go-to substance for drug traffickers. According to Mexican security secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch, Zhang played a pivotal role in “establishing connections with other cartels for the transfer of fentanyl from China to Central America, South America, Europe, and the United States.”
It is Zhang’s connections to Mexico’s Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels that are most troubling to authorities. You’ve got to worry about the scope of his operations. Former President Donald Trump put pressure on both Mexico and China to go after fentanyl production and trafficking. The U.S. government has historically taken a firm hand on this important subject. Mexico has already become the dominant producer of fentanyl in the United States. This shift underscores the growing importance of cross-national cooperation to address the challenge.
Cuba has yet to make an official statement on Zhang’s apparent arrest. He will stay in Cuba, as Cuban authorities are evaluating his possible extradition to the United States.