Two Indian companies in the US face smuggling charges

According to the office of US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace, India-based pharmaceutical companies "Raxuter Chemicals" and "Athos Chemicals" have been charged with shipping and importing chemicals used in the production of the drug fentanyl to the US, Mexico, and other countries.

Bhavesh Lathiya, the 36-year-old founder and executive of Raxuter Chemicals, was taken into custody in New York.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland stated, "The Justice Department has promised that we will never forget the victims of fentanyl and that we will never stop working to hold those responsible accountable. That is what we are doing, and that is what we will continue to do."

FENTANYL IN FAKE PACKAGES

Prosecutors allege that the companies, both located in the city of Surat in India's Gujarat state, smuggled all the necessary materials for the production of fentanyl—which federal authorities say is approximately 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine—into the US and Mexico.

It is alleged that the companies used deceptive and fraudulent practices to avoid detection, such as mislabeling packages, falsifying customs forms, and making false declarations at border crossings.

Among the allegations is that in June 2024, Raxuter Chemicals sent a package to New York labeled as containing Vitamin C, and that chemicals used in the production of fentanyl were brought into the country in this manner.

US prosecutors claim that the Sinaloa cartel and other Mexican drug trafficking gangs use chemicals like those sent by the two Indian companies to produce the highly addictive synthetic drug in their clandestine laboratories.

News Source: AA