How fentanyl-linked crypto fraud ties back to a Chinese drug kingpin

Fentanyl’s Hidden RoutesJapan outpost used to move funds, direct trafficking likely part of a larger operationNikkei wrote a custom program to trace the flow of cryptocurrencies used by a smuggling network using Japan as a key transit point. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)Nikkei staff writersJuly 23, 2026 09:58 JSTNEW YORK/TOKYO -- One year after Nikkei reported that a Chinese organization illicitly exporting fentanyl had established a base in Japan, the fight against the synthetic opioid has entered a new phase: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has acknowledged that Japan is being used as a transit hub for smuggling.