Alleged Chinese drug trafficker recaptured in Cuba after escaping Mexican custody

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MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Chinese national who United States authorities accuse of trafficking large quantities of cocaine and fentanyl into the U.S. before being arrested and then escaping custody in Mexico was recaptured in Cuba, Mexican authorities said Wednesday.

Zhi Dong Zhang, alias “Brother Wang,” was indicted in federal court in Atlanta in 2022 on drug trafficking and money laundering charges.

Mexican authorities captured him in Mexico City in October 2024 at the request of the U.S. government. But a judge granted him house arrest and last July he escaped the home he was being held in under military guard.

On Wednesday, Mexico’s Security Cabinet said in a statement that the alleged trafficker, who had escaped Mexican authorities in July, was arrested in Cuba, but did not identify him by name. A federal official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case, confirmed that it was Zhi Dong Zhang.

After escaping in Mexico, Zhang had travelled to Cuba and then to Russia where he was detained for illegal entry and returned to Cuba, according to another Mexican federal agent, who also requested anonymity to discuss the case. The agent said Zhang could be deported to Mexico.

Cuban authorities did not respond to a request for comment about Zhang Wednesday.

Zhang’s escape in July came at a sensitive moment for the administration of Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum, who was trying to hold off crushing tariffs threatened by the Trump administration, which accused Mexico of not doing enough to stop fentanyl smuggling into the U.S.

Government documents filed in the Atlanta case describe a drug trafficking network led by Zhang that imported cocaine and fentanyl into the U.S. and then distributed it through hubs in the Atlanta and Los Angeles metro areas. Zhang called the drugs “coffee” and “food,” respectively, in coded language, the court documents said.

Millions of dollars from the drug sales were allegedly collected at stash houses in Georgia and California and deposited into accounts that Zhang could access from Mexico, the documents said.