A sweeping federal investigation has pulled back the curtain on a massive fentanyl trafficking and money laundering scheme stretching from China to Ohio.
Prosecutors say the operation, dubbed “Operation Box Cutter,” is one of the largest U.S. efforts yet to target Chinese companies supplying precursors used to manufacture the deadly synthetic opioid.
At the heart of the case is Eric Michael Payne, 39, of Tipp City, Ohio. Court filings accuse Payne of funneling dangerous cutting agents to fentanyl traffickers across southern Ohio.
Investigators allege he purchased the substances from companies in China that posed as online pharmacies or legitimate chemical suppliers.
Some of those agents included a tranquilizer so strong it was estimated at 200 times more powerful than morphine, Townhall reports.
The Department of Justice confirmed Payne wasn’t acting alone.
His significant other, Auriyon Tresan Rayford, 24, allegedly allowed illegal materials to be stored at her home and, along with Ciandrea Bryne Davis, 39, of Atlanta, helped move more than $60,000 in cryptocurrency to Chinese nationals tied to the scheme.
According to prosecutors, the group’s purchases included at least 10 kilograms of chemical agents—enough to produce more than 150 kilograms of fentanyl mixtures for distribution.
Federal officials detailed how