Akron family awarded millions from federal judge after suing Chinese cartel over son’s overdose death

An Akron family was awarded millions of dollars after suing a drug trafficking organization for wrongful death due to fentanyl poisoning, according to a news release from Families Against Fentanyl.

A federal judge issued a $30 million judgment against Zheng’s drug trafficking organization after Families against fentanyl founder Jim Rauh filed suit against the cartel. Rauh and his family received a combined total judgment of $48 million after a Summit County judge issued an $18 million judgment in 2023.

“Our son Tommy was stolen from us. He never stood a chance against the incredibly potent fentanyl supplied by the Zheng cartel,” Rauh said in the statement. “To save lives, we must stop foreign manufacturers and traffickers of illegal fentanyl and hold them accountable. In Tom’s memory, our family is committed to doing our part.”

Rauh’s son Tommy suffered a fatal overdose in 2015.

The Rauh family pledges to dedicate the money to resolving the fentanyl crisis through Families Against Fentanyl if the funds are recovered.

‘Moving on’: Akron businessman works to manufacture fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction after son’s death

Rauh spoke with the Beacon Journal in August 2023, when he was working to classify fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. He had been pushing for this since 2021, when he outlined these concerns in a letter to President Joe Biden and convinced some high-level experts to sign on. Among those who signed at the time were former CIA director John O. Brennan and former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge, the first secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com or on Twitter @athompsonABJ

This article originally appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Family Receives Millions After Prosecuting Chinese Drug Cartel