US Intel reports claiming illegal fentanyl precursor chemicals provided by India | India News
New York/Washington: U.S. intelligence reports call India and China “a pioneer of drug traffickers and a source of equipment” and the main source of illegal fentanyl precursor chemicals and pill pressure devices. The “2025 Annual Threat Assessment (ATA)” released on Tuesday is the official of the Intelligence Community (IC) that coordinates the assessment of a range of threats to U.S. citizens, land and the U.S. to the world’s interests.
It said fentanyl and other synthetic opioids remain the deadliest drugs trafficked to the United States, killing more than 52,000 people in the 12 months to October 2024.
Fentanyl is an effective opioid that has been accused of widespread drug addiction in the United States. The Trump administration has cracked down on illegal imports of fentanyl and linked it to tariff adjustments in some countries.
The report said some transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) are producing and trafficking large quantities of illegal drugs that damage life and livelihoods in the United States.
Mexico-based TCO, which includes Sinaloa Cartel and the next generation of Jalisco Cartel, provides major producers and suppliers of illicit drugs to the U.S. market, including fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine from South American origin, the report said.
However, it added: “Non-state groups are usually activated directly and indirectly by state actors such as China and India as predecessors and sources of equipment for drug traffickers”.
“China remains the main source country for illicit fentanyl precursor chemicals and pill pressure equipment, followed by India,” it said.
The report noted that the cartel caused more than 52,000 deaths in synthetic opioids in the 12 months to October 2024, which was largely responsible and helped promote the arrival of nearly 3 million illegal immigrants in 2024, creating resources that put American communities at risk.
Last week, an Indian-based chemical manufacturing company and three senior employees were charged in federal court in Washington, D.C. for illegal import of precursor chemicals used to make illegal fentanyl. Federal agents also arrested two senior employees at Hyderabad Company in New York City on Thursday.
The report also flagged ‘Transnational Islamic Extremists’ and said, ISIS’s most aggressive branches, including ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), and its entrepreneurial plotters will continue to seek to attack the West, including the United States, via online outreach and propaganda aimed at directing, enabling, or inspiring attacks, and could exploit vulnerable travel routes.
It said that in recent years, in South Asia, Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) operations have focused solely on targeting Pakistan, possibly in order to avoid greater counter-terrorism pressure.
However, it observed: “The ability of TTP, its historical links to al-Qaida, and previous support for actions against the United States has brought us attention to our potential future threats. Anti-Indian groups, including Lashkar-e Tayyiba, are similarly concerned about us, in part because of their historical links to Al-Qaida.”
