The Chinese fentanyl king
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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First thing they always tell me is,
Miguel, are you sure this Sean is not an undercover DEA agent? And I said, no, he's a real journalist. He's legit.
This is Miguel Angel Vega. He knows people I'll never meet on my own.
The only reason they agreed to talk to me, and in this case to you, is because they know me. I know the person very well that hook us up with these people.
Dangerous people. And Miguel Angel is taking a risk vouching for me.
They tell me, like, well, Miguel, if this man is not what he claims to be, I'm going to cut you into little pieces, you understand that? So it's like, it's a little scary hearing that kind of threat. But, you know, this is what I do. Today, I'm going to meet with the cartel member, and I think he knows our subject.
The subject we're investigating is Brother Wang, a Chinese national whose real name is Zhang Zhidong.
A Chinese man operating a massive drug trafficking and money laundering network is arrested in Cuba and could soon be extradited to the U.S. Zhang Zhidong, who's better known as his street name Brother Wong, he's accused of working with Mexican cartels to transport fentanyl... News of Zhang Zhidong's arrest in November 2025 made headlines around the world.
Zhang Zhidong... the United States government announced it caught one of the most wanted men. I'm Shuang Yuan.
How did journalists and cartel contacts first connect to investigate Brother Wang?
I'm a journalist with the BBC's Global China Unit. I'm trying to understand how a student from China's most prestigious university ended up as, according to law enforcement, one of the most significant drug traffickers in the world. This is the Chinese Fentanyl King for the documentary from the BBC World Service.
All right. Hi, Miguel. Very, very nice to meet you finally. Welcome to the heat in every sense.
Welcome to the heat in every sense. Miguel Angel's way of welcoming me to his hometown, Culiacán, known as the cradle of the cartels.
Now, Culiacan is pretty violent these days. You know, the two different factions, as you know, Chapos and Mayos, are like clashing almost anywhere, everywhere. It's just pretty crazy.
But it looks... I mean, on our flight, it was very full. Every seat was taken. I was actually quite surprised by how many people are still coming.
Well, that's the thing. You know, during the day, Culiacan, it's like a normal any other city, but... After dark, that's when everything changes. Vampires are outside, ready to get you. And in this case, vampires are hidden out. You know, they're patrolling the city. And the funny thing, you don't see them. I mean, this taxi driver can be anyone. This guy is so well, that's the kind of control the cartel has. You're going to see a lot of police, soldiers, convoys patrolling the city. And still, cartel members, they always find a way to... Miguel Angel drives us to a safe house in a run-down part of the city.
We knock on the heavy metal gate and enter a compound. High walls on all sides. We're introduced to Luis, obviously not his real name. An actor is speaking his words, translated verbatim. Luis leads us into a small room covered in white tiles and offers a seat next to some large plastic containers. There's a strong smell of chemicals, and I suspect this room is used for cooking fentanyl. One hot afternoon in 2019, Luis says he was at a ranch on the edge of the city, running errands for his boss when he was told to stop what he was doing and guard the perimeter.
Then this man showed up. He came to talk to the bosses. I saw him from a distance because I was on duty, standing outside on security. It was a Chinese guy who came here to offer his products.
The product he's offering? Precursor chemicals needed to produce fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans over the past decade.
That was when they came and said we are going to bring in this drug and we are going to do this. Then he pulled out some money and they started hanging it out. Courtesy of the new boss, number one.
Number one is Zhang Zhidong, also known by his alias, Brother Wang.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–2:27
2
How did journalists and cartel contacts first connect to investigate Brother Wang?
2:27–9:26
3
Who is Zhang Zhidong (Brother Wang) and why is he called the Chinese fentanyl king?
9:26–15:28
4
What does life and cartel control look like in Culiacán where investigators met sources?
15:28–25:17
5
How did cartel members describe the arrival of Chinese chemicals and Brother Wang’s role?
25:17–28:59