A major breakthrough in the fight against the fentanyl crisis. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson said a bipartisan coalition has forced the messaging app WeChat to help disrupt drug money laundering.
Jackson says billions in drug proceeds move through the platform every year. Now, after a 30-day ultimatum, WeChat has agreed to hand over account metadata, identify suspicious posts, and respond to law enforcement requests within 48 hours.
Jackson says "if you want to stop fentanyl, you have to go after the money."
While the platform's Chinese-based sister app, Weixin, still does not cooperate, officials call this a critical first step in cutting off the cash flow fueling the epidemic.
