Akron family fights against Chinese drug cartel responsible for son's death

Nine years after his son, 37-year-old Tom Rauh, died from acetyl fentanyl, Jim Rauh still fights.

After years of battling an opioid addiction, Tom died in 2015 when he unknowingly injected acetyl fentanyl into his body.

Since 2015, News 5 has continued to cover the high-profile case involving Rauh.

Photo courtesy of James Rauh.

What happened to Rauh's son may be the most complete case, with federal investigators tracing the fentanyl found in his room to a manufacturing operation in Shanghai, China, led by a father and son known as the Zhang family.

RELATED: Akron couple who lost son to fentanyl is surprised Chinese citizens may be to blame

The DEA and the State Department are even offering up to $5 million/each reward for information leading to an arrest of the Zhangs.

U.S. Department of State

Last year, a judge in Summit County ordered the Chinese-based organized crime group to pay Rauh $18 million.

RELATED: Judge orders Chinese drug cartel pay Akron family $18 million for son's death

"We intend to hold those accountable," Rauh said.

In July, a federal judgment added another $30 million that the Zhangs must pay Rauh, not one penny Rauh told News 5 he’s seen so far.

"I don’t know if I ever will see any of it," Rauh explained. "If I ever collect any money, every bit will go toward fighting this fight; I will use it solely for stopping this kind of evil from infiltrating the United States."

With the nonprofit Families Against Fentanyl , Rauh continues his push for the government to declare fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.

RELATED: Akron man hopes to get fentanyl declared as a weapon of mass destruction

With a background in chemistry and physics, Rauh worries it will only get easier for fentanyl to harm others.

"In the wrong hands, it's going to go from the slow motion weapon of mass destruction that's infiltrated the illicit drug supply, to the general public in the air, food or water supply," he said. "This can be dispersed in the most simple ways. There's an unlimited amount of material here."

RELATED: Weapon of Mass Destruction:’ NEO families call for action to stop fentanyl-related overdoses

In 2022, 18 attorneys general urged the White House and Department of Homeland Security for fentanyl to be classified as a weapon of mass destruction.

Despite these calls from Rauh, there has been no nationwide move to redesignate the powerful synthetic opioid.

"There's nothing is that's been here that's this dangerous besides our own nuclear weapons," Rauh said.

Nationwide, data from the Ohio Department of Health shows the number of Ohioans dying from unintentional overdoses dropped 5% in 2022, while the nation saw a 1% increase.

Aug. 31 marks International Overdose Awareness Day.

Clay LePard is a special projects reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on Twitter @ClayLePard or on Facebook Clay LePard News 5 .

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