NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Washington, DC, April 29, 2026: Two Indian nationals have been named in a U.S. sanctions list targeting a global fentanyl supply chain with alleged links to international drug cartels, according to an April 23 announcement by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Satishkumar Hareshbhai Sutaria and Yuktakumari Ashishkumar Modi, both from Surat, Gujarat, were designated by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as part of a broader effort to dismantle networks supplying precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of fentanyl.
According to the Treasury, Sutaria is an India-based supplier of pharmaceutical chemicals, while Modi worked as a salesperson facilitating transactions. The two are linked to chemical trading firms that allegedly supplied fentanyl precursor materials, including N-Boc-4-Piperidone, to buyers in Mexico and Guatemala. U.S. authorities allege the shipments were mislabeled as legitimate chemicals to avoid scrutiny.
Officials said the individuals were part of a transnational supply chain tied to the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations. The network is believed to span multiple regions, with chemical sourcing in India, intermediaries operating in Central America, and drug production carried out in cartel-controlled laboratories in Mexico before distribution into the United States.
The sanctions come amid intensified U.S. efforts to target not just traffickers, but also upstream suppliers who play a key role in enabling the production of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has driven a surge in overdose deaths nationwide.
Indian authorities had earlier arrested Sutaria and Modi in March 2025 in connection with similar allegations. They were charged under narcotics and forgery laws and are currently out on bail, with legal proceedings ongoing in India.
Under OFAC sanctions, any assets of the designated individuals within U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from conducting business with them.
The Treasury said the action highlights the increasingly global nature of the fentanyl trade and the growing coordination between governments to disrupt networks linked to international drug cartels.
