Charges have been brought against two businesses and an executive for smuggling lethal fentanyl precursors into the United States and Mexico, which exacerbated the opioid crisis.#NewYorkNY #NewYork #Crime #NewYork
NEW YORK, Two Indian chemical businesses and one of their top executives are facing criminal charges for allegedly trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States and Mexico, disrupting a major international drug smuggling enterprise in New York City. U.S. officials announced the indictment on January 6, 2025, as part of a larger attempt to combat the fentanyl pandemic that continues to wreak havoc on communities throughout North America.
The Charges and the Alleged Smuggling Operation
Charges of criminal conspiracy, smuggling, and associated offenses have been brought against Raxuter Chemicals, Athos Chemicals Pvt. Ltd., and senior executive Bhavesh Lathiya.
These charges are related to claims that the corporations used international mail and package carriers to transport precursor ingredients for fentanyl into the United States and Mexico. On January 4, 2025, Lathiya, a senior executive and co-founder of Raxuter Chemicals, was taken into custody in New York City.
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace stated that the indictments accuse two Indian chemical companies and a company executive of knowingly distributing the chemical building blocks of fentanyl, part of our multifaceted efforts to disrupt the global fentanyl supply chain.
The Deadly Impact of Fentanyl
Synthetic opioids like fentanyl are around 100 times more strong than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. In the United States, it causes thousands of overdose deaths annually. Raxuter and Athos Chemicals are accused of trafficking chemicals that are necessary for the manufacture of fentanyl.
We promised that the Justice Department would never forget the victims of the fentanyl epidemic and that we would never stop working to hold those responsible for it accountable. That is what we have done and will continue to do, said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Smuggling Tactics and Falsified Documents
According to the indictment, the companies smuggled precursor chemicals by using dishonest methods and fabricated paperwork.
One instance had Raxuter shipping a shipment to New York in June 2024 with 1-boc-4-piperidone, a chemical precursor to fentanyl, instead of vitamin C.
Similarly, in a video call with a Homeland Security Investigations undercover agent in October 2024, Lathiya allegedly agreed to transport 20 kilograms of fentanyl precursors under false pretenses of being an antacid in order to sell more of the drug.
Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that the Justice Department is focusing on all connections in the global supply chains of fentanyl trafficking, which too frequently result in fatalities in the United States.
The International Web of Fentanyl Trafficking
Additionally, in February 2024, Athos Chemicals is charged with conspiring to sell 100 kg of fentanyl precursors to a known drug trafficker in Mexico. According to reports, this transaction was meant for a Mexican narcotics trafficking group that produced fentanyl.
According to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a large portion of our country’s illicit fentanyl problem can be linked to criminals abroad who intentionally and unlawfully transport precursor chemicals to North America, where cartels transform them into lethal drugs and cause unimaginable suffering and devastation to countless American communities.
Continuing the Fight Against Fentanyl
In the fight against fentanyl trafficking, this indictment represents a major win. In order to disrupt the fentanyl supply chain and bring those responsible accountable, U.S. officials are determined to keep up their efforts.
Because preventing illicit fentanyl from being manufactured in the first place is the best way to stop it from killing Americans and destroying communities, the Department of Homeland Security and our federal partners will continue to take the fight against fentanyl directly to alleged foreign precursor chemical exporters like the companies and the individual indicted today, Mayorkas added.
Associated Topics: New York, Mexico, India, and Crime
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