2 Indians Sanctioned By US For Selling Fake Pills Filled With Fentanyl

The United States has sanctioned two Indian nations over accusations of running online pharmacies that sold fake prescription pills filled with deadly drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine to American consumers. The US Department of the Treasury said Sadiq Abbas Habib Sayyed (39) and Khizar Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh (34) collectively supplied "hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills filled with fentanyl and other illicit drugs" to victims across the United States.

Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also designated one India-based online pharmacy-- KS International Traders (a.k.a. "KS Pharmacy")-- for its role in these criminal operations. The pharmacy is owned by Shaikh.

What US Authorities Said

According to a statement issued by US authorities, based in India, Sayyed and Shaikh worked with Dominican Republic and US-based narcotics traffickers to sell counterfeit pills. They used encrypted messaging platforms to market and sell these pills as discounted, legitimate pharmaceutical products, which were instead filled with illicit drugs like fentanyl, a fentanyl analogue, and methamphetamine.

Sayyed and Shaikh were previously indicted in September 2024 on narcotics-related charges by a federal grand jury sitting in the Southern District of New York. Even after being exposed for his criminal activity in in DOJ's 2024 indictment, Shaikh continues to operate KS International Traders, the authorities said.

Under US sanctions, all property or assets the two men hold in the US have been frozen. Moreover, all American businesses or individuals have also been barred from engaging with them. Violations of the order carry the risk of civil and criminal penalties.

US Crackdown On Drugs

US President Donald Trump opened his second term in the White House with a war against drugs, with sharper geopolitical edges. With fentanyl from Chinese sources as the president's main focus, Washington has pledged to "disrupt the supply chain from tooth to tail" of the drug trade and to "partner with - or otherwise hold accountable" source countries.

"Too many families have been torn apart by fentanyl. Today, we are acting to hold accountable those who profit from this poison," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K Hurley.

"Treasury will continue to advance President (Donald) Trump's commitment to Make America Fentanyl Free by targeting drug traffickers."