Suspected Fentanyl Kingpin Known As “Brother Wang” Appears In US Court After Arrest In Cuba
A suspected Chinese drug trafficker who escaped custody only in Mexico it is also allowed in Cuba He turned to the US to face charges of smuggling large amounts of cocaine and fentanyl into the country.
Zhi dong zhang, also known as “Brother Wang” Among other aliases, he pleaded guilty to the charges at his appearance Wednesday in Brooklyn Federal Court. His attorney declined to comment following the court appearance.
Federal authorities say Zhang ran a drug trafficking and money laundering operation that brought thousands of pounds of narcotics into the United States and other countries.
“The defendant stands accused of running a global business that abounds in cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in our communities and cuts millions in narcotics that continue,” Deputy Attorney General Todd said in a statement. “His return to the United States is a major step in dismantling the network that has fueled addiction, violence and death.”
Zhang’s criminal organization has operated out of Mexico since at least 2016 and laundered its drugs through US-based drug companies using fake security numbers.
Authorities have identified more than 100 shell companies tied to Zhang’s organization that were used to finance at least $77 million in narcotics proceeds, they said.
Mexican authorities arrested Zhang in Mexico City in October 2024 at the request of the US government, but a judge granted him house arrest and he escaped from his home under military detention. Prosecutors said in a court filing that he eventually returned to Cuba and was sent to the US by Mexican authorities on Oct. 23.
Last month, Mexico’s security secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch posted a photo on social media, showing a hand-held zhang near the plane, which was intercepted by Interpol Agents.
A wanted poster released by Mexican prosecutors in July said that in addition to “Brother Wang,” Zhang has other aliases, including “BW,”
Zhang, who is being held until his next court date in January, also faces a related set of drug charges in Georgia.
Government documents filed in that case describe a cocaine and fentanyl trafficking network with hubs in the Atlanta and Los Angeles Metro areas. Millions of dollars from drug sales were allegedly collected from stash houses in Georgia and California and deposited into accounts owned by Zhang located in Mexico, the documents said.
He is accused of defrauding at least $20 million in the US between 2020 and 2021 through more than 100 companies and bank accounts, El Pais reports.
