According to US officials, the US logistics company agreed to pay $400,000 to claim that it helped Chinese companies ship fentanyl to the country in the landmark case.
According to the US Lawyer's Office for the Western District of Texas, IMC Pro International, a private shipping company based in North Carolina, has reportedly agreed to provide several Chinese companies with domestic shipping labels to generate access to the company.
This allowed the Chinese company's fentanyl chemical package to identify IMC Pro as the company.
This is the first time a US shipping company has resolved accusations that helped ship fentanyl precursors in the United States. The IMC Pro settlement did not include guilt approval.
IMC Pro did not respond immediately to requests to post comments.
Smugglers increasingly exploit the trade loopholes known as the De Minimis rules to sneak the chemicals that create fentanyl into the US and into Mexico. Reuters investigation.
The De Minimis exemption is a long-standing trade rule that allows packages under $800 to be shipped to US tax-free.
First fashion companies like Shein and Temu use bylaws to avoid paying taxes on cheap and lightweight goods, while fentanyl smugglers use this rule to avoid US customs and ship packages domestically with minimal inspections.
President Trump threatened to close the loophole earlier this year, but has since delayed changing the rules.
“In addition to chasing drug cartels, the DEA will continue to hold companies responsible for making it easier for drug lords to acquire precursor chemicals and produce deadly synthetic drugs like fentanyl.”
“This initial settlement exposes the loopholes that some companies are using to poison our community,” Comeau added.
Officials said they recognized the alleged misconduct of IMC Pro in 2023.
Five packages contained 1-BOC-4 piperidone and chemicals used to produce (2-bromoethyl)benzene-fentanyl.
The investigation determined that the package was intended to be shipped from China to the US and then transported to Texas, and passed through the US-Mexico border.
The IMC Pro settlement includes a promise not to engage in a similar agreement with current or future foreign companies.
