New Delhi, Updated At : 06:01 PM Apr 28, 2026 IST
The United States has announced broad sanctions against a transnational network accused of supplying precursor chemicals used by the Sinaloa Cartel to make synthetic opioids. The Treasury Department said the action targets 23 individuals and entities operating across India, Latin America and Mexico, covering stages from chemical sourcing to trafficking.
The designations were made by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under several executive orders intended to stem the flow of illegal narcotics and to disrupt finance channels linked to terrorism and illicit networks. The US Embassy in India noted that cooperation with Indian law enforcement was key to dismantling significant parts of the network that provided precursor substances to cartel operations.
Named by US authorities were India-based suppliers Satishkumar Hareshbhai Sutaria and Yuktakumari Ashishkumar Modi and their companies SR Chemicals and Agrat Chemicals. Officials allege these suppliers facilitated shipments of fentanyl precursors, including N-Boc-4-Piperidone, to destinations such as Mexico and Guatemala, often concealing shipments by labelling them as benign chemicals.
Indian agencies arrested Sutaria and Modi in March 2025, according to the US statement. The Treasury emphasized that Mexican cartels have become increasingly dependent on international chemical supply chains—particularly from Asia—to produce fentanyl and methamphetamine. It noted the extreme lethality involved: a single kilogram of certain precursors can be converted into hundreds of thousands of potentially lethal doses.
The imposed sanctions freeze any US-linked assets of the designated parties and bar Americans and US-based entities from engaging in transactions with them. The measures also warn of possible secondary sanctions against foreign institutions that continue to facilitate financial or material support to the sanctioned network.
US officials said the move is part of broader efforts to choke off the raw materials that enable synthetic drug production and to hold accountable those who profit from or enable global trafficking networks.
