Fentanyl Cases Highlight Global Drug Trade: Beckley Man Sentenced, Chinese Executives Convicted

BECKLEY, W.Va. — A Raleigh County man was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for distributing fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, while two Chinese executives were convicted on related charges in a separate case in New York, highlighting the global reach of the fentanyl crisis.

Anthony Darnell Deberry, 40, of Beckley, was sentenced on January 30, 2025, to five years and 10 months in prison, followed by three years of probation, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Deberry pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl after selling the drug to a confidential informant at his Beckley home on May 3, 2023. He admitted to additional sales of fentanyl in Raleigh County.

During a search of Deberry’s home, law enforcement seized two 9mm handguns, ammunition, $2,000 in cash, and approximately 76.5 grams of fentanyl. Deberry confessed to intending to distribute the seized drugs. U.S. Attorney Will Thompson praised the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which includes officers from the West Virginia State Police, Raleigh County Sheriff's Office, and Beckley Police Department, for their investigative efforts.

Meanwhile, in New York, a Manhattan jury found two executives of Chinese chemical company Hubei Amarvel Biotech not guilty of conspiring to distribute fentanyl but convicted them of conspiracy to import fentanyl precursor chemicals and money laundering. Qingzhao Wang, the company’s principal executive, and marketing manager Yiyi Chen were acquitted of the top charge but found guilty of shipping chemicals they knew could be used to produce fentanyl.

Prosecutors revealed that Wang and Chen shipped 200 kilograms of fentanyl precursor chemicals in 2022 and 2023 and met with undercover DEA agents posing as Mexican drug traffickers in Bangkok and Fiji. Sentencing for Wang and Chen is scheduled for May 29 and June 5, respectively.

David Mou, Wang’s attorney, stated that his client had no intent to produce fentanyl and that the chemicals were never used for that purpose. Chen’s lawyer did not immediately comment on the verdict.

The cases underscore the ongoing fentanyl crisis in the U.S., where synthetic opioids have contributed to more than 400,000 overdose deaths over the past decade. The U.S. Department of Justice has intensified efforts to combat the flow of fentanyl and its precursors, including targeting international suppliers.

Chris Urben, a former DEA agent, noted that evidence from the trial could aid U.S. negotiators in pressuring China to curb the export of precursor chemicals to Mexican cartels. China has stated it collaborates with the U.S. to combat illegal drug trafficking.