Since the end of last year, China’s Hubei Province has established a special task force to focus on cracking down on illegal crimes involving fentanyl precursor chemicals. As of February this year, authorities have solved 22 cases related to fentanyl precursor chemicals, approved the arrest of 7 individuals, taken criminal enforcement measures against 12 others, administratively detained 1 person, and imposed administrative penalties on 4 companies. Among these, based on information provided by the U.S. anti-narcotics authorities, a case involving the sale of state-controlled new psychoactive stimulant substances and Category II precursor chemicals was solved, and a suspect was arrested.
According to the Hubei Daily, the Hubei Narcotics Control Committee Office, together with market regulation, industry and information technology, commerce, and emergency management departments, has strengthened controls to reduce the risk of fentanyl precursor chemicals leaking into illicit channels. Relevant enterprises were guided to conduct risk checks at the source according to the "Management Catalogue for Export of Precursor Chemicals to Specific Countries (Regions)" and other regulatory documents. Special online inspections have been continuously carried out, resulting in the shutdown of more than 200 illegal corporate websites and the identification and removal of over 400 pieces of illegal online information.
In terms of case investigation, based on tips from U.S. drug enforcement authorities, Wuhan police discovered that a certain company was selling the state-controlled psychotropic drug lorazepam and was suspected of selling multiple new psychoactive stimulants and Category II precursor chemicals regulated by the state.
On December 5, 2025, with the support and cooperation of Shandong police authorities, Wuhan police successfully arrested the actual controller of the company, surnamed Wang. By establishing a joint investigative and regulatory enforcement mechanism, public security authorities in Hubei and Hebei expanded case leads, and recently launched an official investigation into a drug trafficking case in accordance with the law.