New York Southern District federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment yesterday (the 27th), charging two Chinese citizens arrested in February with building a methamphetamine production factory.
41-year-old Wenfeng Cui (WENFENG CUI, also known as Vincent) and 26-year-old Fan Pang (FAN PANG, also known as Jerry) are accused of planning and participating in a highly organized, technology-driven methamphetamine production factory and smuggling network.
According to the indictment, the two face three felony charges: conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to import precursor chemicals for drug manufacturing, and actual importation of methamphetamine. The core of the case is that over the past approximately one year, they worked with chemists and engineers to design, develop, and build an “industrial-grade” methamphetamine production system, seeking to scale up and automate drug production.
Prosecutors stated that the system was designed as a highly automated production line capable of producing a maximum of approximately 400 kilograms (nearly 882 pounds) of methamphetamine per day. The defendants not only developed the equipment but also provided complete technical support from assembly to operation, and promised ongoing maintenance and parts supply for overseas customers. Prosecutors described that drug production on this scale, if it entered the market, would pose an extremely serious threat to public safety.
Undercover Operation Reveals Transaction Details
The case breakthrough came from an eight-month undercover operation led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). An informant posing as a drug dealer maintained frequent contact with the two defendants, discussing equipment customization, chemical supplies, and technical details.
Recordings show Wenfeng Cui could rapidly mass-produce and iterate equipment: he could complete customized drug-making equipment within months and release improved versions within 30 days. He also provided a full training system for assembly and operation, and claimed he could supply ongoing parts and on-site technical support to a drug dealer in Guatemala.
In a June 5, 2025 meeting, Wenfeng Cui said he had many repeat customers and could supply hundreds of kilograms of precursor chemicals for methamphetamine synthesis. In a June 17, 2025 meeting, he stated that prototype equipment was already operational, while Fan Pang said the complete equipment would be ready in July, with each production cycle capable of producing up to 800 kilograms of methamphetamine.
During the meetings, the two offered to sell approximately 40 kilograms of methylamine hydrochloride (a controlled chemical) for $4,000, to be shipped from China to New York. The next day, Wenfeng Cui sent screenshots showing the chemical components his technology could produce, explicitly including the CAS number for methamphetamine. By August 2025, the defendants had begun arranging shipments of precursor chemicals to New York.
Detailed Technical Documents and Equipment Blueprints
Investigations found that the team not only sold equipment but also built a complete standardized technical system. They produced and distributed detailed blueprints, equipment lists, and operation manuals covering how to assemble various devices into a full laboratory and the specific steps for methamphetamine production.
The documents list dozens of key components, including stainless steel reactors, condensers, storage tanks, explosion-proof pumps, refrigeration and hydrogenation systems, gas cylinders, centrifuges, and compressors. There is also a nearly 5,000-word operation manual detailing temperature control, chemical reaction steps, and laboratory conditions, showing the system had reached highly mature industrial standards.
In December 2025, after the full set of equipment was completed, the defendants directed its shipment to a European port. Shipping records show the equipment weighed 21,000 kilograms total and occupied nearly 200 cubic meters, loaded into multiple containers from Shanghai Port. Wenfeng Cui sent photos of the container loading to others and described the “fully automated equipment” as representing “the future of global chemical industry.”
In February 2026, European law enforcement seized the equipment shipment at a port. On February 2, the two defendants were arrested in New York City.
Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The precursor chemical importation and related conspiracy charges each carry a maximum of 20 years.
4/28/2026
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