ATLANTA — An alleged international drug king pin from China accused of trafficking cocaine and fentanyl in Atlanta using operations based in Mexico was arraigned in a federal courthouse in Brooklyn Wednesday, where he was accused of a host of crimes that could land him in prison for life.
Zhi Dong Zhang, 38, was extradited from Mexico last month, where the U.S. Department of Justice accused him of working on behalf of major cartels.
“Zhang’s transnational network was allegedly intricate, well-coordinated, and well-funded,” said Theodore S. Hertzberg, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd W. Blanche said Zhang is accused of running a global enterprise that pumped “massive quantities” of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine into American communities, causing addiction, violence and death.
The indictment against Zhang in Georgia accuses him of negotiating and coordinating delivery of 11 kilograms of cocaine and one kilogram of fentanyl to Atlanta for distribution in 2022. It says he oversaw stash houses in Georgia and California where drug money was held before being deposited in banks, with 150 companies, 170 bank accounts and about $20 million in proceeds involved.
The indictment against Zhang in the Eastern District of New York traced seizures of 46 kilograms of cocaine, 58 kilograms of methamphetamine, and nearly 7 kilograms of fentanyl to the organization he allegedly ran.
It says he laundered $77 million through more than 100 shell companies with bank accounts opened by recruits called “banqueros.” They were allegedly supervised from Mexico, where coordinators booked their travel and provided fake Social Security Numbers.
“This arrest represents a critical milestone in a long-running investigation into an alleged high-level narcotics trafficker with international reach,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge in Atlanta for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.