Qingzhou Wang of Amarvel Biotech = 25 years

Chinese company executive Qingzhou Wang has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for trafficking in chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl. Wang, 37, principal executive of Amarvel Biotech, based in Wuhan, and Yiyi Chen, 33, the firm’s marketing manager, were convicted in New York in February of fentanyl precursor importation and money laundering. Wang bought 25 years in prison. Chen was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

They shipped hundreds of kilos of fentanyl-related precursors into the United States, disguising them as everyday goods, cashing out through cryptocurrency.

The June 2023 indictment of the Chinese executives and companies drew protests from Beijing. “It is completely illegal and seriously damages the basic human rights of Chinese citizens and Chinese companies,” the Chinese foreign ministry said at the time. “China strongly condemns this.”