The U.S. government has launched a significant operation targeting the fentanyl crisis, with federal authorities announcing the indictment of 22 Chinese nationals and three American citizens in a sweeping drug enforcement action. The operation, labeled Operation Box Cutter, involved the seizure of enough fentanyl powder to kill 70 million Americans and sufficient fentanyl pills to claim another 270,000 lives, according to federal officials.

The investigation, initiated in Dayton, Ohio, expanded to mainland China, where chemical companies were allegedly marketing and exporting dangerous precursor substances used to manufacture fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin. FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the agency’s commitment to disrupting the drug supply chain at its source, stating, “We’re done playing Whack-a-Mole.”

The Justice Department described the case as a first-of-its-kind international effort to dismantle networks fueling the fentanyl epidemic. Charging documents revealed that Eric Michael Payne, a 39-year-old from Tipp City, Ohio, acted as a key supplier of cutting agents to local traffickers. These agents, including animal tranquilizers far more potent than morphine, were allegedly purchased from Chinese companies posing as legitimate chemical firms.

The indictment also exposed financial networks, including bank accounts and cryptocurrency channels, used to fund the illicit trade. Attorney General Pamela Bondi reiterated the administration’s focus on halting the flow of “poison” into U.S. communities, vowing to pursue those involved in the deadly scheme.