2 Indian Companies Indicted for Smuggling Chemicals Used in Fentanyl
Published Jan 06, 2025 at 6:14 PM ESTUpdated Jan 06, 2025 at 9:29 PM EST
By Matthew Impelli
Writer
Federal prosecutors in New York announced Monday that two India-based pharmaceutical companies have been charged with smuggling chemicals used to manufacture the lethal drug fentanyl.
Why It MattersFentanyl, a synthetic opioid, was responsible for around 200 American deaths a day in 2023. Federal authorities describe fentanyl as roughly 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
The drug's distribution in the U.S. by cartels has been a focus for the federal government, which has had to work to unpick a complex, global network—including pill pressers, transporters and money launderers—in an attempt to cut off the flow into the country.
What To Know Raxuter Chemicals and Athos Chemicals face separate indictments accusing them of conspiring to distribute and import chemicals into the United States, Mexico and other countries with the knowledge that they would be used to produce fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Bhavesh Lathiya, a founder and senior executive at Raxuter Chemicals, has also been indicted on related charges. The 36-year-old executive, known by aliases "Bhavesh Patel" and "Bhavesh Bhai," was arrested Saturday in New York City and has been detained following his arraignment in Brooklyn federal court, according to prosecutors.
Tablets believed to be laced with fentanyl are displayed at the Drug Enforcement Administration Northeast Regional Laboratory on October 8, 2019, in New York. On Monday, the Department of Justice announced an indictment against two... More DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images/Getty ImagesLathiya's public defender declined to comment on Monday, while representatives for Raxuter Chemicals and Athos Chemicals did not immediately respond to requests from The Associated Press for comment on the indictments.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Lathiya served as a director at Athos Chemicals until 2022, before departing to establish Raxuter Chemicals.
The Allegations
Prosecutors allege that the two companies, based in Surat, a city in India's Gujarat state, smuggled all the essential materials for fentanyl production into the U.S. and Mexico.
Prosecutors allege the companies used deceptive tactics to evade detection, including mislabeling shipments, falsifying customs documentation and providing false declarations at border crossings.
Prosecutors claim that Raxuter Chemicals mislabeled a shipment sent to New York City last June, falsely declaring its contents as Vitamin C. In another case, the company allegedly labeled a fentanyl precursor as an antacid.
Prosecutors said chemicals supplied by the two companies are used by the Sinaloa Cartel and other Mexican drug trafficking organizations to manufacture fentanyl on an industrial scale in secret laboratories.
What People Are SayingU.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement: "We made a promise that the Justice Department would never forget the victims of the fentanyl epidemic, and that we would never stop working to hold accountable those who bear responsibility for it — that is what we have done, and that is what we will continue to do."
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement: "Much of our nation's illicit fentanyl crisis can be traced to bad actors overseas who knowingly and illegally traffic precursor chemicals to North America, where cartels refine them into deadly narcotics and wreak immeasurable heartbreak and destruction on so many American communities."
2 Indian Companies Indicted for Smuggling Chemicals Used in Fentanyl - Newsweek |
|
