Zhi Dong Zhang, international drug trafficker featured in episode one, goes by many names including El Chino and Brother Wang. He has emerged as the signature target in the ever-shifting war against drug traffickers on the North American continent. Accused of smuggling tons of chemical precursors used to manufacture fentanyl for powerful cartels like Sinaloa and Jalisco, Zhang’s activities have drawn significant attention from law enforcement agencies. His story is a fascinating look into the often opaque world of international crime. It reveals an alarming link between Chinese transnational criminal organizations and Mexican drug cartels.
Zhang had only recently entered Mexico before the coronavirus pandemic ensued. To avoid deportation, he married a Mexican national and gained citizenship himself. That’s how he was living under house arrest in a wealthy Mexico City neighborhood when he pulled off a brazen escape in July months. His escape consisted of crawling through a tunnel into the adjoining estate, avoiding militia duty soldiers posted to watch him. Indeed, the circumstances of this escape are still murky, but they indicate Zhang may have had assistance from unknown accomplices.
After his escape over the wall, Zhang returned to the news after being extradited back to the United States. On Wednesday, in a daze from jetlag, he found himself stepping into a Brooklyn court. There, he pleaded not guilty to new charges of trafficking in cocaine and crystal meth. The charges against him extend well beyond drug trafficking. He faces jaw-dropping allegations of laundering almost $100 million through a complex web of shell companies and bank accounts in the United States.
Of Zhang’s various methods of laundering drug money, one stands out as particularly creative. He delivered illegal services to Chinese nationals. This, in turn, aided them in transferring funds out of China, where capital controls often restrict the movement of money. This exclusive path sheds light on the complex and evolving ties between Chinese transnational criminal organizations and Mexican cartels.
“He offered something that very few can.” – Chris Urben
Chris Urben, deputy chief of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a former law enforcement official, underscores Zhang’s importance on the drug trade. He also credited Zhang’s operational style. Retired DEA agent Derek Maltz of the federal law enforcement agency’s Special Operations Division testified, “He goes above and beyond a kingpin because kingpins basically sit at the top and no one talks to them. This high degree of involvement shows the extensive reach Zhang has in the drug trafficking network.
The extraordinary circumstances surrounding the flight from which Zhang escaped only add to the confusion of his story. After trying (according to some reports successfully) to defect to Cuba, he then tried to fly from there back to Russia and was stopped. This series of moves raises troubling questions about his ties to foreign adversaries. Felbab Brown, an expert on transnational crime, speculated on the potential support Zhang may have had, suggesting, “It could be that he knew specific Russian criminal actors or spies or government actors that he was planning to rely on for protection.”
Zhang’s case is a powerful indication of the changing face of narcotics trafficking. Chinese networks and Mexican cartels are more connected than ever. Because of this, both groups have a demonstrable and obvious interest in improving one another’s operations.
“It’s emblematic of how important Chinese networks have become to the core operations of Mexican criminal groups.” – Vanda Felbab Brown
Felbab Brown points out that this new relationship highlights a larger movement in the international drug trafficking world. The archetypal narratives of arresting drug lords are being rewritten by people like Zhang, who operate through increasingly elaborate global networks.
Though Zhang is facing serious legal challenges, his story is far from finished. His escape has thrust him back into the spotlight. It has raised concern about the security measures provided to high-risk detainees in Mexico. Government officials are constantly grappling with how to deal with the most dangerous among us. About these people, there are massive resources and connections that compound the challenge.
“It was the same old story of Mexico.” – Felbab Brown
Zhang’s operations, and law enforcement agencies have been pursuing her aggressively. His case is likely to go down as a major tipping point in how we understand the deadly and intricate links between various criminal enterprises around the globe. The implications of his actions resonate far beyond Mexico and the United States, highlighting a growing global concern about drug trafficking and organized crime.