A bipartisan effort to combat fentanyl and money laundering is being spearheaded by attorneys general in the Carolinas.
At the Government Center in uptown Charlotte on Monday, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said Chinese messaging app WeChat is a key player in both states' fentanyl crisis.
Today, AG @JeffJacksonNC led six bipartisan attorneys general in demanding accountability from the messaging and payment app WeChat over concerns of criminals use the platform to facilitate money laundering. https://t.co/zqstCo0pc0 pic.twitter.com/DBZ65m2v6a
— NC Attorney General (@NCAGO) May 12, 2025
Jackson and Wilson said the messaging app has been helpful to drug cartels in trafficking drugs and laundering the proceeds.
In April, the U.S. Department of Justice arrested three people who allegedly used the app for fentanyl sales in South Carolina.
Wilson noted that a small amount of the drug can cause widespread death.
"One kilo of fentanyl is enough to kill half a million people. One kilo of fentanyl — something the size of a VHS tape for those of you old enough to know what a VHS tape is," Wilson said.
Jackson said the app has 30 days to address the issue. He declined to say what they would do if WeChat doesn’t do so. It's not clear what the attorneys general could do to WeChat, as a Chinese company, but they said there are a range of "escalation" options, from law enforcement actions to political solutions such as tougher laws against money laundering and selling fentanyl.
"We strongly encourage them to respond, and I hope they see the breadth of this initial effort as a small piece of what may be in store for them if they choose not to comply," Jackson said.
Attorneys general from Colorado, Mississippi, New Jersey and New Hampshire are joining the bipartisan effort.
