US sanctions two Indian nationals for supplying counterfeit pills with Fentanyl
The US Department of the Treasury yesterday (24 September) sanctioned two Indian nationals and one India-based online pharmacy for supplying "hundreds of thousands" of counterfeit prescription pills filled with fentanyl and other illicit drugs to people in the United States.
The department identified the two nationals sanctioned as Sadiq Abbas Habib Sayyed and Khizar Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh, reads a US Department of State press release.
"Sayyed and Shaikh marketed and sold these pills as discounted, legitimate pharmaceutical products, which were instead filled with illicit drugs like fentanyl, a fentanyl analogue, and methamphetamine," the department said in a release.
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"Both Sayyed and Shaikh have used encrypted messaging platforms to conduct their illegal business and market their product to victims," it added.
Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley said that too many families have been torn apart by fentanyl.
"Today, we are acting to hold accountable those who profit from this poison," Hurley said. "Treasury will continue to advance President Trump's commitment to Make America Fentanyl Free by targeting drug traffickers."
Fentanyl has been the primary driver of the synthetic opioid crisis, which is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Opioid overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump had named India, Pakistan, China and Afghanistan among 23 nations designated as "major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries," warning that the production and trafficking of narcotics and precursor chemicals from these countries threatens the safety of the United States and its citizens.
