The United States has taken action by banning visas for 13 individuals connected to an Indian business involved in drug trafficking, as announced by State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott. These individuals are associated with KS International Traders, a company previously sanctioned for trafficking fentanyl, a deadly drug labeled as a Weapon of Mass Destruction by President Trump.
Pigott emphasized the joint commitment of the US and India in combatting illicit drug activities that pose harm to Americans. The sanctioned individuals, whose names were not disclosed, were targeted under a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that restricts drug traffickers from entering the US. In a related development, KS International Traders and its owner, Khizar Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh, along with Sadiq Abbas Habib Sayyed, both Indian nationals, were subjected to sanctions by the US Treasury Department in September.
The sanctions imposed on the Indian business and its owners included asset freezes and prohibitions on financial dealings within the US. The Treasury Department’s statement accused them of distributing counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and other illicit substances to individuals in the US. John Hurley, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, highlighted the devastating impact of fentanyl on families and emphasized the need to hold accountable those profiting from such activities.
Sayyed and Shaikh were implicated in collaborating with drug traffickers in the Dominican Republic and the US to market and sell pills containing fentanyl, a fentanyl analogue, and methamphetamine. The Centers for Disease Control reported a staggering 70,231 deaths from drug overdoses in the US within a 12-month period ending in November.
