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The United States Department of the Treasury connected Wednesday (September 24, 2025) sanctioned 2 Indian nationals for their alleged relation successful supplying counterfeit medicine pills laced with fentanyl and different illicit drugs to victims crossed America. An India-based online pharmacy linked to the racket has besides been designated.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) named Sadiq Abbas Habib Sayyed and Khizar Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh arsenic cardinal players successful an planetary web that pushed “hundreds of thousands” of fake pills, marketed arsenic morganatic medicines, into the U.S. market. The pills were recovered to incorporate fentanyl, fentanyl analogues and methamphetamine.
“Too galore families person been torn isolated by fentanyl. Today, we are acting to clasp accountable those who nett from this poison,” said John K. Hurley, U.S. Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. He added that the Treasury would proceed to prosecute traffickers arsenic portion of Washington’s committedness to “Make America Fentanyl Free.”
The property release said that fentanyl has been identified arsenic the starring operator of the U.S. opioid crisis, which has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. The section claimed that opioid overdoses are the superior origin of decease among Americans aged 18 to 45.
According to U.S. authorities, Mr. Sayyed and Mr. Shaikh worked with traffickers successful the Dominican Republic and the U.S. to administer counterfeit drugs. They utilized encrypted messaging platforms to beforehand their products arsenic discounted pharmaceuticals. Both men had already been indicted successful September 2024 by a national expansive assemblage successful New York connected narcotics-related charges.
Mr. Shaikh besides owns KS International Traders, besides known arsenic KS Pharmacy, which the Treasury has designated for facilitating transgression operations. Despite being named successful past year’s indictment, officials said Mr. Shaikh continued moving the platform.
The U.S. Treasury highlighted the broader relation of online suppliers — including respective operating from India — successful fuelling the fentanyl epidemic. These suppliers not lone people American consumers but besides supply precursor chemicals to Mexican cartels, which tally clandestine laboratories for fentanyl production.
The enactment comes nether the U.S.-India Drug Policy Framework, which seeks to fortify practice betwixt New Delhi and Washington connected tackling planetary cause trafficking, improving nationalist health, and securing proviso chains.
