Feds: Suburban residents illegally sold fentanyl online

Two suburban residents used websites to illegally traffic fentanyl and other narcotics, according to a federal indictment made public Thursday.

Prosecutors allege Liangfu "Larry" Huang, 53, of Northbrook used the website for his Arlington Heights-based company, Ark Pharm Inc., to sell fentanyl without registering with state and federal officials.

Huang was arrested Wednesday after arriving at O'Hare International Airport from China, authorities said. He is charged with conspiracy to knowingly and intentionally possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

Prosecutors say a 52-year-old Vernon Hills woman named Wei Xu, also known as Scarlett Hsu, used the website for her Mundelein-based company, 1717 CheMall Corp., to unlawfully sell fentanyl and a variety of opioids. She is charged with knowingly distributing a controlled substance.

Both companies' websites have been seized by the government, authorities said Thursday. They did not indicate whether the pair were working together.

According to court documents, authorities at the U.S. border seized "a dozen packages" of crystal methamphetamine and other controlled substances that had been shipped from China to Huang's company in Arlington Heights. The shipments purported to contain routine goods, like children's toys, documents state.

Beginning in 2016, authorities conducted five undercover purchases from Huang's company's website, receiving controlled substances via FedEx, with Huang listed as the sender, according to the indictment.

Authorities performed similar online purchases from Xu's website starting in August 2017. During the process, agents spoke with Xu by phone or corresponded with her via email, according to court records. Packages from Xu also were sent via FedEx with Xu listed as the sender, authorities said.

Both Huang and Xu face a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted.