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Fentanyl labelled Vitamin C, antacids: Gujarat man gets 4 years in US prison
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In Short: A Surat-based company and its employee were sentenced for smuggling chemicals used in fentanyl manufacture into the U.S., highlighting the global nature of the drug supply chain.
A Surat-based company, Raxuter Chemicals, and its employee were sentenced for smuggling chemicals used in fentanyl manufacture into the U.S., according to court filings. The company shipped more than 50 pounds of chemicals through international mail, supplying buyers in the U.S. and Mexico.
The employee, identified as Lathiya, was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay $24,560 in forfeiture. Lathiya's conduct placed him 'at the source of the fentanyl supply chain,' where he moved chemical building blocks into the U.S. through deception and false labeling.
Homeland Security Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas emphasized the significance of the case, stating that it 'breaks new ground against an India-based supplier.' The sentence was seen as a message from the U.S. authorities to hold precursor traffickers accountable for their role in the fentanyl supply chain.
The company's actions covered all materials needed for fentanyl manufacture through common synthesis routes, underscoring the global nature of the drug supply chain and the need for international cooperation in combating it.
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- He was also ordered to pay forfeiture of $24,560 and will be deported once his prison term ends.
- According to court filings cited by US Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr.’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Raxuter Chemicals sold and smuggled more than 50 pounds of chemicals commonly used in fentanyl…
- He said the sentence sent a message that the office would “hold precursor traffickers like the defendant accountable for their role in the fentanyl supply chain”.
- The Surat-based company shipped its products through international mail and package carriers, and prosecutors said the chemicals it distributed covered all the materials needed to manufacture fentanyl through the…
- Homeland Security Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas said Lathiya’s conduct had placed him “at the source of the fentanyl supply chain, where he knowingly moved the chemical building blocks of a…
Sources
- The Indian Expresslink