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Indian Chemical Firms Charged in Fentanyl Ingredient Smuggling Case
Two chemical manufacturers from India have been indicted in connection with the importation of ingredients used to produce fentanyl, a powerful opioid linked to the escalating crisis of addiction and overdose deaths in the United States and Mexico, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Athos Chemicals and Raxuter Chemicals, both located in Gujarat, face serious charges in federal court in Brooklyn for their alleged roles in distributing precursor chemicals necessary for the synthesis of fentanyl and conspiring to do so.
In addition to the charges against the companies, Raxuter and its senior executive, Bhavesh Lathiya, aged 36, face allegations of smuggling and the introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce.
Lathiya was taken into custody on Saturday in New York, where prosecutors characterized him as a flight risk and a significant threat to community safety, subsequently leading to his detention until trial.
“The Justice Department is committed to dismantling the networks involved in fentanyl trafficking that traverse international borders and all too frequently result in devastating consequences for communities across America,” stated U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Defense attorneys for Lathiya have not provided comments on the case, and efforts to reach representatives from Athos and Raxuter for a response were unsuccessful outside of business hours.
Fentanyl’s potency is alarming; it is estimated to be about 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more so than morphine. As reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioids were responsible for around 82,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2022, which marks a tenfold increase compared to the figures from 1999.
According to the prosecutors, since February 2024, the accused companies have been supplying precursor chemicals, fully aware of their intended use in fentanyl production. Their alleged efforts to conceal these activities included mislabeling shipments, falsifying customs documentation, and making deceitful claims at border points.
One indictment detailed a conversation from October 2024, where Lathiya engaged with an undercover agent acting as a fentanyl producer. During these discussions, he consented to sell 20 kilograms of the precursor chemical 1-boc-4-piperidone, suggesting it be misrepresented as an antacid.
In another indictment, Athos reportedly agreed to sell 100 kilograms of the same chemical to a known drug trafficker in Mexico, who was associated with a drug trafficking organization involved in fentanyl production.
If convicted, Lathiya could face a sentence of up to 53 years in prison, as noted by the Justice Department.
Source
finance.yahoo.com