US Imposes Sanctions on Two Indian Nationals for Illicit Drug Distribution

Washington, Sep 25 (PTI): The United States Treasury has imposed sanctions on two Indian nationals and an India-based online pharmacy for distributing counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl and other illicit substances to victims throughout the United States. Sadiq Abbas Habib Sayyed and Khizar Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh have been targeted with these sanctions for their involvement in supplying hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and other illegal drugs, as per a statement from the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Wednesday.

Sadiq and Khizar coordinated with narcotics traffickers based in the Dominican Republic and the US to sell these counterfeit pills to Americans.

These pills were marketed as discounted, legitimate pharmaceutical products but were, in reality, filled with illicit substances like fentanyl, its analogues, and methamphetamine. Encrypted messaging platforms were utilized to carry out their illegal activities and promote their products to unsuspecting victims. Khizar also owns the sanctioned online pharmacy, KS International Traders (also known as "KS Pharmacy"), which facilitated Shaikh's criminal operations.

As part of the sanctions, all US-located assets or those under US jurisdiction belonging to the two Indian nationals are now blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Fentanyl has emerged as the primary catalyst behind the synthetic opioid crisis, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Opioid overdose remains the leading cause of fatality among Americans aged 18 to 45.

The statement also underlined the US-India Drug Policy Framework, emphasizing ongoing collaboration between the US and India to combat the severe impact of illicit drugs and address the global drug threat by targeting drug trafficking, enhancing public health, and strengthening global supply chains.

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