Sinologist Chris Meyer and journalist Sam Cooper reveal CCP-aligned Chinese criminal networks as architects of global fentanyl trafficking, reshaping cartel operations under Xi Jinping’s regime.

In Brief by Probe International

Sinologist Chris Meyer, Chairman of the U.S. Micronesia Council, joins investigative journalist Sam Cooper of The Bureau to dissect a seismic shift in global narcotics. The conversation unpacks a transformative era in drug trafficking, with Chinese criminal syndicates—potentially backed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—serving as masterminds behind cartel operations, particularly in fentanyl production and trafficking.

Beijing-born financier Zhi Dong Zhang (code name “Brother Wang”) exemplifies this nexus, notes Meyer: Zhang allegedly managed precursor chemical supplies for Mexican cartels (Sinaloa, Jalisco) while laundering profits through 150 companies and 170 bank accounts. His July 2025 escape from Mexican custody hints at high-level collusion, says Meyer.

The discussion underscores U.S. intelligence claims that China’s CCP subsidizes offshore fentanyl production while controlling precursor chemicals and financial networks. U.S. officials, including Sen. Tom Cotton and ex-CIA analyst Peter Mattis, now publicly attribute the fentanyl crisis to CCP-subsidized precursors.

According to Meyer, Zhang’s network trained U.S.-based Hispanic cartel members to launder money so that a racial “insulation layer” obscured CCP ties, a tactic mirrored by other CCP-linked operatives. This, says Meyer, reflects a broader triad “corporate structure,” where leaders centralize synthetic drug production and finance, shifting from heroin/cocaine to fentanyl under Xi Jinping’s regime (post-2012) as part of China’s “nonlinear warfare” strategy.

Internally, says Meyer, Xi Jinping’s weakening power amid factional strife and economic decline presents diplomatic opportunities. The West, he says, could leverage this to pressure China into curbing drug trafficking, espionage, and interference in regions like Taiwan. Meyer points to the dramatic 2023 removal of reformist leader Hu Jintao from a CCP meeting as evidence of Xi’s fragile authority, highlighting a critical moment for international intervention to disrupt these destabilizing networks.

The discussion in full is available at The Bureau’s website here.