The US Treasury has sanctioned two Indian nationals and an India-based online pharmacy for supplying counterfeit prescription pills filled with fentanyl and other illicit drugs to victims across the United States.

Sadiq Abbas Habib Sayyed and Khizar Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh have been sanctioned “for their role in collectively supplying hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills filled with fentanyl and other illicit drugs,” according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The statement revealed that Sadiq and Khizar worked with narcotics traffickers based in the Dominican Republic and the US to sell counterfeit pills to Americans. These pills were marketed and sold as discounted, legitimate pharmaceutical products but were instead filled with illicit substances such as fentanyl, a fentanyl analogue, and methamphetamine.

To conduct their illegal business and market their products to victims, the duo used encrypted messaging platforms. Khizar is also the owner of the sanctioned online pharmacy, KS International Traders (also known as “KS Pharmacy”), which was used to further Shaikh’s criminal activities.

According to the sanctions, all property and interests in property of both Indian nationals that are located in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.

Fentanyl has been the primary driver of the synthetic opioid crisis, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Opioid overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45, the statement added.

Highlighting the US-India Drug Policy Framework, the statement said, “The US and India continue to work together to fight the devastating impact of illicit drugs and to put an end to the global drug threat by combating drug trafficking, improving public health, and strengthening global supply chains.”

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