U.S. Revokes and denies Visasโค to Indian Executives Linked โคto โfentanyl Precursor Smuggling
The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi โannounced on Thursday, September 18, 2025, thatโ itโค has revoked and โdenied visas to โคcertain Indian business executives and corporate leadersโ accused of involvementโฃ in traffickingโข fentanyl precursorsโ – the โฃingredients used to illegally manufacture the opioid fentanyl. โThe actionโค is part of the Trump ManagementS ongoing efforts to combat the influx of synthetic โnarcotics into theโ United โขStates.
According to a statement โขreleasedโข by the embassy, family members of these individuals may also โface consequences related to theโ illegal drug production and trafficking. The Embassy acknowledged receiving supportโฃ from theโ Indian government in efforts to halt the flow of โfentanylโฃ and its precursors.
U.S. chargรฉ d’affaires Jorgan Andrews emphasized the commitment to fighting illicit โคdrug trafficking, stating โthat individuals and organizations involved, along withโฃ their families,โ could be denied โฃaccess to the โฃUnitedโ States.While the Embassy did not publicly name the specific executives or companies targeted, โคit indicated โคthat โindividuals connected to companies known to have โtrafficked fentanylโค precursors will face heightened โscrutiny during future U.S. visa applications.
This declaration follows a series of U.S. executive orders aimed โขat combating drug trafficking organizations and pushing for “reform โคby source countries” from which illicit drugs and precursorโ chemicals originate.
The visa actions stem from earlier criminal charges filedโข in January 2025 against two Indian companies, Raxuter Chemicals โand Athos Chemicals, for alleged criminal conspiracies to distribute and import fentanyl precursor chemicals into the U.S.โ Bhavesh Lathiya, founder and senior executive of Raxuter Chemicals, was arrested in New York on January 4, 2025, on charges related toโข smuggling these precursors.
The U.S. Departmentโฃ of Justice stated at the time that fentanyl represents the “deadliest โคdrug threatโ currently facing the United States,” and thatโ the defendantsโ allegedly supplied precursor chemicals knowing they would be used inโ fentanyl manufacturing, utilizing international mail โand package carriers to ship the products to โthe U.S.โ and Mexico. The charges โagainst Mr. Lathiya โwere โfiled โshortly before Donald Trump’s second inauguration, following a campaign pledge to aggressively address the fentanylโ crisis.