LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A Chinese national and a Las Vegas man have been federally indicted for their roles in a scheme to import large amounts of a powerful synthetic opioid to distribute in the United States as counterfeit pills, according to the Department of Justice.
The charges stem from an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance and collaboration with the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Public Security.
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According to court records, beginning in approximately September 2024, Jia Guo of China, and Seven Schmidt of Nevada, operated a drug trafficking organization that sourced protonitazene overseas and shipped it into the United States for distribution. Protonitazene is often used in counterfeit pill production and is significantly more potent than fentanyl. A quantity as small as 200 grams can produce hundreds of thousands of pills, each potentially lethal.
Guo allegedly coordinated the illegal procurement and shipment of protonitazene from China to co-conspirators, including an associate in Miami-Dade County. That associate allegedly used pill presses to manufacture counterfeit pills, which were then distributed to drug dealers throughout the United States.
Schmidt allegedly ordered distribution quantities of the counterfeit pills and arranged for their shipment from South Florida to Nevada using the U.S. Postal Service. As part of the investigation, the China’s Ministry of Public Security also seized 10 parcels filled with controlled substances that Guo sent to the United States.
Guo and Schmidt are charged with conspiracy to import protonitazene into the United States from China and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute protonitazene. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the two counts.
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