Cuba has reportedly arrested a Chinese fentanyl kingpin who escaped custody in Mexico this July and was simultaneously wanted by both the United States and Mexico.
● Awaiting Extradition
According to Agence France-Presse citing Mexican security sources, the Chinese drug lord is named Zhang Zhidong (transliteration), nicknamed “Brother Wang.” He will remain in Cuba while authorities determine his extradition status.
Zhang Zhidong is alleged to have worked closely with Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel, both of which have been designated by the U.S. government as "foreign terrorist organizations."
Born in Beijing in 1987, Zhang Zhidong was arrested in Mexico in October 2024 and detained in a Mexico City prison while awaiting a hearing regarding extradition to the United States. The U.S. has issued a warrant for his arrest on money laundering charges. He was previously granted house arrest but escaped in July this year. Reportedly, he attempted to flee to Russia but was refused entry, and then arrived in Cuba using a fake passport.
During President Trump's administration, the United States continued to apply pressure on both Mexico and China to curb drug trafficking, especially of fentanyl, a powerful painkiller at the center of America's overdose crisis.
Mexico's security minister Omar García stated last year that Zhang Zhidong was regarded as a "key international money laundering operator," responsible for "establishing connections with other drug trafficking groups and transferring fentanyl from China to Central America, South America, Europe, and the United States."
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin, and it is easier and cheaper to manufacture.