NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors from New York have announced the indictment of two pharmaceutical firms situated in India on charges of illegally importing chemicals essential for the production of the lethal opioid fentanyl. The companies, Raxuter Chemicals and Athos Chemicals, are accused in separate indictments of conspiring to distribute and import these chemicals into the United States, Mexico, and across other regions, fully aware that they would be utilized in the manufacturing of this synthetic drug, as stated by the U.S. District Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace.
In addition to the charges against the companies, Bhavesh Lathiya, a co-founder and high-ranking officer of Raxuter Chemicals, has also been indicted on comparable counts. The 36-year-old executive, who is known by other names including “Bhavesh Patel” or “Bhavesh Bhai,” was apprehended on Saturday in New York City and has since been ordered to remain in detention after his court appearance in Brooklyn, according to prosecutors. Lathiya’s public defender chose not to comment following the indictments, and representatives from both companies have not yet provided a response to inquiries seeking clarification regarding the charges.
Prior to establishing Raxuter Chemicals, Lathiya held a director position at Athos Chemicals until the year 2022, as highlighted by the office of Breon Peace. According to federal prosecutors, both companies, which are based in Surat, a city located in Gujarat, India, have been implicated in smuggling all necessary substances for fentanyl production into the U.S. and Mexico. They further indicated that fentanyl is estimated to be around 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
The indictments claim that these companies engaged in various deceptive measures to evade detection, such as inaccurately labeling packages, falsifying customs documentation, and providing misleading declarations at border checkpoints. For instance, in June, Raxuter Chemicals sent a package to New York City which was falsely described in the manifest as containing Vitamin C. In another case, prosecutors allege that a chemical intended for fentanyl production was deliberately mislabeled as an antacid by Lathiya’s company.
Moreover, it has been noted that notorious drug trafficking organizations, including the violent Sinaloa Cartel, utilize the chemicals supplied by these companies to manufacture fentanyl on a large scale within their covert laboratories. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland remarked that the Justice Department has committed to remembering the victims impacted by the fentanyl crisis and will persist in holding accountable those responsible for this ongoing epidemic.
