Beyond Fentanyl

Cryptocurrency’s role in the international drug precursor market

The fentanyl epidemic has long been regarded as a uniquely American tragedy. But it’s just one node in a vast network that encompasses most of the world’s trade in illicit synthetic drugs.

The factories that produce the world’s fentanyl precursors also manufacture and sell the key ingredients for almost every other common synthetic drug sold in European and Asian markets. A significant number of these factories are located in China.

In this report, we explore the inner workings of Chinese precursor drug manufacturers and take a closer look at how they are leveraging cryptocurrency in the production and sale of illicit synthetic drugs today.