WASHINGTON (HRNW) – The United States has announced visa restrictions on 13 individuals linked to an Indian online pharmacy company over allegations of involvement in the illegal trade of counterfeit medicines containing the dangerous synthetic opioid fentanyl.
According to the foreign news agency Reuters, the US State Department said the individuals are close associates of the Indian company KS International Traders and its owner, which operated an online pharmacy business from India.
US officials allege that the company was selling counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid used for pain treatment, but widely linked to overdose deaths in the United States due to illegal misuse.
State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott said in a statement that illegal fentanyl has caused significant loss of life in the US, adding that those involved in harming American communities through such trafficking would not be allowed entry into the country.
The report noted that the website of Mumbai-based KS International Traders was no longer accessible, and details of its top executives were not publicly available.
US officials further alleged that the company generated revenue through fentanyl trafficking. President Donald Trump has previously described fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction.”
This is not the first action taken against the company, as it was previously sanctioned last year along with two Indian nationals for alleged involvement in supplying counterfeit fentanyl pills.
According to US authorities, the operation allegedly distributed millions of counterfeit tablets in the United States, contributing to widespread harm in communities. The US has also strengthened its visa ban policy to combat fentanyl trafficking and related illegal drug networks.
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