The United States has sanctioned two Indian nationals for allegedly running online pharmacies that sold fake prescription pills laced with deadly drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine to American customers.
The US Department of the Treasury identified the men as Sadiq Abbas Habib Sayyed (39) and Khizar Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh (34). Officials said they collectively supplied “hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills filled with fentanyl and other illicit drugs” to people across the US.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also sanctioned KS International Traders (a.k.a. KS Pharmacy), an India-based online pharmacy owned by Shaikh, for its involvement in the illegal operations.
What US authorities said
According to the statement, Sayyed and Shaikh worked with traffickers in the Dominican Republic and the US to sell counterfeit pills. They used encrypted messaging platforms to promote these pills as legitimate, discounted medicines — but they were actually filled with fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and methamphetamine.
Officials noted that both men were indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York in September 2024. Despite the indictment, Shaikh “continues to operate KS International Traders,” the statement said.
What sanctions mean
Under the sanctions, any property or assets the two men hold in the US have been frozen. In addition, all American individuals and businesses are banned from doing business with them. Violations of this order could lead to civil or criminal penalties.
US crackdown on Fentanyl
Trump has made fighting fentanyl a key focus in his second term, promising to “disrupt the supply chain from tooth to tail” and hold source countries accountable.
“Too many families have been torn apart by fentanyl. Today, we are acting to hold accountable those who profit from this poison,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley.
“Treasury will continue to advance President (Donald) Trump’s commitment to Make America Fentanyl Free by targeting drug traffickers.”
