The United States Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on April 23, 2026 announced sanctions against two Indian nationals-Satishkumar Hareshbhai Sutariya and Juktakumari Ashishkumar Modi-and their companies, citing alleged links to a Mexican drug cartel and involvement in illegal drug trafficking. The move freezes any assets those individuals and firms hold in the United States and requires that U.S. authorities be notified of related property.
U.S. officials say the two operated through companies named SR Chemicals and Agrat Chemicals to supply precursor chemicals used to manufacture illegal drugs to cartels in Mexico and Guatemala. According to the U.S. administration, these chemicals were allegedly mislabeled as safe and later used to produce fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid. The activity is suspected to be connected to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, one of the world’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations.
Legal action in India has already progressed. Gujarat’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested Sutariya and Modi in March 2025 on suspicion of involvement in the case. The Gujarat High Court later granted them bail, but authorities registered a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. A charge sheet against them was filed on May 15, 2025, and the two currently remain under trial.
OFAC’s announcement also named a Guatemalan drug supplier, Jaime Augusto Berrientos Camaz, accusing him of procuring chemical supplies from the Indian firms. The U.S. embassy in India praised Indian law enforcement in a statement released on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, saying Indian authorities provided significant assistance in dismantling key parts of the criminal network. The embassy described the sanctions as part of a broader U.S. campaign to disrupt the international flow of chemicals and supplies used to produce fentanyl and other illegal drugs.
Under OFAC sanctions, U.S. persons and entities are generally prohibited from dealing with designated individuals and entities, and any U.S.-based assets are blocked. The designation can complicate international banking and trade for the named companies and may spur further investigations by both Indian and foreign authorities.
Original Source: https://assam.nenow.in/us-sanctions-indians-drug-cartel-links/
Category: Popular Stories,আন্ত: ৰাষ্ট্ৰীয়,দেশ,শীর্ষ সংবাদ
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Publish Date: 2026-04-29 08:00:00
