Zhang Zhidong, a 39-year-old Chinese national accused by the US Department of Justice of being the "king of fentanyl", is awaiting trial after being extradited from Mexico to the United States in 2025. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Authorities allege Zhang operated a global trafficking network shipping precursor chemicals from China to Mexico for fentanyl production, supplying the Sinaloa cartel. Mexican authorities accused him of exporting more than 1,000 kg of cocaine, 1,800 kg of fentanyl, and 600 kg of methamphetamine while handling over $150 million in annual drug proceeds. Prosecutors allege he laundered proceeds through more than 100 shell companies.
Zhang, who graduated from Peking University with a degree in Spanish in 2010 before moving to Mexico the following year, was initially arrested in Mexico in 2024 before escaping and being recaptured. Following his capture, the Drug Enforcement Administration recorded a drop in fentanyl purity linked to difficulties in obtaining precursors.