New Delhi:The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on two Indian nationals and an India-based online pharmacy for trafficking counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl and other illicit substances into the United States. The individuals sanctioned are Sadiq Abbas Habib Sayyed and Khizar Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh. Sayyed and Shaikh were linked to narcotics traffickers in the Dominican Republic and the U.S., and they marketed and sold counterfeit pills as legitimate, discounted pharmaceuticals. However, upon inspection, these pills were found to contain fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and methamphetamine. Both individuals used encrypted messaging platforms to operate their illicit business. Shaikh is the owner of KS International Traders (also known as KS Pharmacy), an online pharmacy that continued operations even after Shaikh was indicted in September 2024 on narcotics-related charges by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York. The U.S. government has identified the online pharmacy as a key player in the distribution network, facilitating the sale and shipment of these counterfeit pills across the country. According toLiveMintreport, these actions are part of broader U.S. efforts to crack down on fentanyl trafficking and protect public health. Fentanyl has been a significant driver of the synthetic opioid crisis in the U.S., leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths. Opioid overdose remains the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45. Under the U.S.-India Drug Policy Framework, both countries continue to work together to combat the fatal impact of illegal drugs, aiming to end this threat by addressing drug trafficking, improving public health, and strengthening global supply chains.