EL PASO, Texas — A Chinese national has been charged by a federal grand jury in Texas with distributing pill press equipment allegedly used to manufacture illegal drugs laced with fentanyl. Xaiofei Chen was arrested by Department of Homeland Security agents at a Las Vegas trade show on Oct. 29.
The criminal complaint alleges that Chen, who worked for a Chinese-based company, sold pill press machines and counterfeit die molds to U.S. buyers. These machines can mimic commonly prescribed controlled substances, producing counterfeit pills indistinguishable from legitimate drugs. Chen allegedly avoided DEA disclosure requirements by dismantling equipment and shipping parts separately into the United States, with packages mislabeled to conceal their contents.
The Controlled Substances Act prohibits the sale of such equipment for unlawful use and mandates reporting certain sales. Counterfeit pills made with this equipment can be laced with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fentanyl overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 49, with the CDC estimating 107,000 overdose deaths in 2023…