In a sign of growing cooperation between the US and China in the wake of last week’s summit in Beijing, the US Justice Department announced on Wednesday the arrest in China of an alleged drug smuggler wanted by the US in connection with a sizeable shipment of illegal drugs into the US state of Georgia.
As outlined in court records, Wei Gong, also known as David Gong, allegedly imported more than 10 kilograms of various potent stimulant drugs, which he allegedly sold to an undercover agent and another defendant.
According to the Justice Department, the US alerted Chinese authorities to Gong’s alleged activities in January, leading to his February arrest in China, where he faces related Chinese charges. There is no indication that Gong will be extradited to the US, but the cooperation and its public acknowledgement are unusual between the two wary giants.
“This arrest demonstrates the strength of international cooperation in disrupting global drug trafficking networks,” said Special Agent Jae Chung with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Atlanta field division. “Working alongside our law enforcement counterparts in China, we were able to identify and hold accountable an individual responsible for attempting to exploit the Port of Savannah.”
Gong, aged 45 and a resident of Tianjin, also allegedly advertised other drugs, including fentanyl analogues, and reportedly planned to bring some 1,000 kilograms through the Georgia port. Prosecutors are seeking forfeiture of cryptocurrency seized during the investigation through the criminal indictment and a related civil forfeiture case.
The Justice Department did not disclose how much crypto was seized. However, it did say that records indicated Gong engaged in “millions of dollars in transactions” between 2020 and his arrest earlier this year. The indictment also said the US seized at least, “but not limited to”, 1.00001188 bitcoin. At current values, that would be worth around US$77,200.
The Justice Department also did not detail how Gong masked the drugs shipped through the nation’s fourth busiest container port, although it said he tried to short-circuit customs delays and avoid having his shipments seized by using proxies to help him import the drugs from China.
“We are thankful for the professionalism and hard work of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security’s Narcotics Control Bureau in developing their case and taking Gong into custody,” said US Attorney Margaret Heap.
The Trump administration has increased pressure on Beijing to crack down on shipments into the United States, often channelled through Mexico, of fentanyl and its ingredients and related money laundering.
According to court records, Gong owned a chemical company and imported ethylone and N-dimethylpentylone, both schedule I controlled substances, as well as synthetic cathinones, into the Augusta and Savannah areas. Synthetic cathinones are designer drugs that mirror the effects of cocaine, Ecstasy or amphetamines.
In February 2025, US President Donald Trump imposed a 10 per cent tariff on nearly all Chinese imports, citing fentanyl precursors as the reason. A month later, this was doubled after the administration accused China of dragging its feet. In November, China agreed to tighten controls on 13 fentanyl ingredients, at which point the tariff went back down to 10 per cent as a gesture of “good faith”, before it was ruled illegal by the US Supreme Court in February.
In the case unveiled on Wednesday, given the lack of an extradition treaty and sensitivities over sovereignty, these are essentially two prosecutions. The US charges in the Southern District of Georgia, which Gong is unlikely to face unless he ever sets foot back on US soil, involve conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances.
Each of the five charges carries penalties of up to 20 years in prison with no chance of parole, along with up to a US$1 million penalty.
Also implicated in the case was Georgia resident Conway Rhinehart, 45, who was sentenced in January 2024 to 108 months in prison after pleading guilty to drug distribution charges.
“This coordinated action with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security reflects our shared resolve to hold traffickers accountable, seize their illicit proceeds, and dismantle networks that traffic fentanyl and other dangerous substances to the United States,” said Special Agent David King of the DEA’s Asia-Pacific division. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
