India A Global Exporter of Narcotics and Death: U.S. Treasury Sanctions Indian Nationals and Online Pharmacy for Fentanyl Trafficking

The public image of India as the world’s responsible ‘pharmacy’ has been completely broken. A strong and damaging action by the United States Treasury Department on September 24, 2025, has revealed a dark and disturbing reality. The sanctioning of two Indian citizens, Sadiq Abbas Habib Sayyed and Khizar Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh, and their online company, KS International Traders, is not just about a few criminals. It highlights a deep-rooted problem that has allowed India to become a major exporter of illegal drugs and death, worsening one of the most terrible public health crises in the United States and creating a serious threat to global financial stability and security.

A Well-Planned Criminal Operation

The operation led by Sayyed and Shaikh was an advanced and modern criminal business, operating deep in the online criminal world. Their network used current technology and misleading advertising to sell their deadly products. They operated with a daring that points to a serious lack of law enforcement in India. The whole plan was created for maximum profit with a complete lack of concern for human life, showing how international drug trafficking has changed.

• The Online Pharmacy Front:
• KS International Traders, a company based in India, was presented to the public as a seller of low-cost, legal medicines.
• In reality, this company was a front, acting as a channel for trafficking dangerous illegal drugs.
• Deadly Products Disguised as Medicine:
• The network sold counterfeit prescription pills to buyers in the United States who did not know the real contents.
• These pills were secretly mixed with fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and methamphetamine, chemicals that have caused a huge number of deaths.
• Use of Modern Criminal Tools:
• The traffickers used encrypted messaging apps to run their network and market their deadly products in secret.
• They used cryptocurrency wallets to hide their illegal profits, making the money very hard to trace.
• Open Defiance of the Law:
• Khizar Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh and his pharmacy kept up their criminal business even after a federal indictment in New York in 2024.
• This shows a shocking freedom from punishment and suggests an environment in India where they could get away with crime.

Exporting Death to American Streets

The direct result of this illegal trade is the sad loss of human lives across the United States. Fentanyl, the main drug in these counterfeit pills, is now the biggest cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45 years old. This Indian criminal network has created a business that profits directly from this great suffering, turning an American health crisis into a way to make money.

• Worsening America’s Deadliest Crisis:
• By sending hundreds of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills, Indian criminals have made the opioid epidemic in the U.S. much worse.
• Their actions have added to a shockingly high number of deaths that has destroyed thousands of American families.
• Joining with Global Cartels:
• The investigation showed that the Indian network worked with known cartels in the Dominican Republic and the United States.
• This proves that Indian criminals are now an important part of complex transnational drug trafficking groups.
• A Strong Warning From the U.S.:
• U.S. Treasury Under Secretary John K. Hurley said, “Too many families have been torn apart by fentanyl. Today, we are acting to hold accountable those who profit from this poison.”
• He clearly connected the action to “President Trump’s commitment to Make America Fentanyl Free.”

Negligence or Complicity? The State’s Role

This situation forces the world to ask if this drug industry is a result of the state’s failure to act or something more worrying. India’s huge pharmaceutical industry gives it the ability to produce controlled drugs on a massive scale. However, this power is clearly being used by criminals, which suggests that the Indian government under Prime Minister Modi has failed to put the needed rules in place.

• India’s Dual-Use Pharmaceutical Power:
• As the world’s biggest maker of generic medicines, India has the factories to produce huge amounts of chemical products.
• This industrial strength has been used for criminal purposes by people who operate in the country’s illegal markets.
• A Complete Failure of Regulation:
• The failure of Indian authorities to stop KS Pharmacy after a U.S. indictment is proof of a complete failure of law enforcement at home.
• This shows that India’s regulatory bodies are either unable to do their job or are choosing to look away from the problem.
• Official U.S. Designation as a Drug Hub:
• The U.S. President has already named India as a major country for drug transit or illegal drug production.
• This official label confirms that the problem is widespread and is being noticed by top world leaders.

The Diplomatic and Financial Consequences

The consequences of this situation are serious and damage the heart of India’s international reputation. The Modi government’s claims of being a responsible world power now sound empty. While New Delhi gives lectures to others on security, its own country is being used to export instability and death, creating an obvious contradiction between its words and actions.

• Diplomatic Hypocrisy on the World Stage:
• India’s public statements on fighting terrorism and ensuring global security are weakened when its own businesses are involved in drug trafficking.
• This exposure of hypocrisy damages its trust with international partners.
• Violation of Global Financial Rules:
• The failure to control online pharmacies and cryptocurrency is a clear violation of rules set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
• This connects India’s drug trade to bigger problems of money laundering and the financing of organized crime.
• The Damaged Image of ‘Pharmacy of the World’:
• The carefully built image of India as a helpful provider of medicine is now destroyed.
• It is being replaced by a more threatening reality: a pharmacy of poison that profits from addiction and death.

Conclusion

To sum up, the U.S. Treasury’s sanctions are a moment of truth, showing that India has become an active center in the global illegal drug trade. The Modi government’s failure to control its pharmaceutical and financial industries has allowed this crisis to grow without limits. India has repeatedly shown itself to be a source of global problems, from spreading false information and sponsoring terror to now, trafficking deadly drugs. The world must now face the fact that its so-called pharmaceutical sector is not healing people; in many cases, it is actively killing them.