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Justice Department Indicts 2 Chinese Nationals In Synthetic Opioid Case

Among the charges is conspiracy to distribute large quantities of fentanyl, a significant factor in the opioid crisis. Every year, thousands of Americans overdose on the drug.
Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announces the indictment of two Chinese nationals for conspiring to distribute fentanyl in a news conference at the Justice Department on Tuesday. / Alex Wong / Getty Images

The Justice Department said Tuesday that it has indicted two Chinese nationals suspected of manufacturing and then distributing in the U.S. a synthetic opioid that officials say kills thousands of Americans every year.

The two suspects, Xiaobing Yan and Jian Zhang, face a raft of charges, including conspiracy to distribute large quantities of fentanyl and drugs with a similar chemical makeup in the U.S. through the

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