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Alleged Transnational Drug Boss Zhi Dong Zhang Arraigned in Brooklyn on Superseding U.S. Charges

Prosecutors depict a cartel‑linked enterprise moving narcotics into the U.S., laundering tens of millions.

Overview

  • Zhang pleaded not guilty at a Nov. 19 arraignment before Magistrate Judge Clay H. Kaminsky in Brooklyn after his late‑October transfer to U.S. custody.
  • He remains detained, with the next New York court date set for January.
  • The superseding EDNY indictment alleges conspiracies to distribute and import cocaine and methamphetamine along with multiple money‑laundering offenses dating back to about 2016.
  • U.S. authorities say the network used more than 100 shell companies to wash at least $77 million, with seizures linked to the case of about 46 kg of cocaine, 58 kg of methamphetamine and roughly seven kg of fentanyl.
  • Prosecutors and HSI/DEA officials allege cooperation with the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG, while a parallel case in the Northern District of Georgia cites 150 companies, 170 bank accounts and about $20 million in alleged laundering.