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"They had a blatant disregard for the law and the safety of the community here in Chicago. Any kid could have went online," said Brian McKnight, Special Agent- in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
McKnight said agents seized enough narcotics from Ark Pharm Inc. in Arlington Heights and 1717 CheMall Corp. in Mundelein to supply a major city.
"There was a large amount of different controlled substances including fentanyl that was coming in from China, which is a major problem for the DEA and other federal partners here in Chicagoland," McKnight said.
According to the federal criminal complaints, Liangfu Huang with Ark Pharm and Wei Xu with 1717 CheMall are accused of illegally distributing controlled substances. Those charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years.
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Investigators said Huang, a resident of Northbrook, was arrested Wednesday night after arriving at O'Hare International Airport on a flight from China.
They said Xu, of Vernon Hills, was also arrested Wednesday.
"The enforcement activity last night is a small piece of what we are trying to do here in Chicago, also nationwide. It's not going to stop what has been going on during this opioid epidemic but it will put a small dent in what we are trying to do," McKnight said.