(José Niño, Headline USA) A chemical manufacturing company based in India and three leading employees were charged in federal court in Washington, D.C. in connection to illegally importing precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl.
On Thursday, Vasudha Pharma Chem Limited (VPC) and three of its top executives were charged with multiple counts of manufacturing and distributing a List I fentanyl precursor chemical for illegal importation into the United States.
Those charged include VPC’s Chief Global Business Officer, Tanweer Ahmed Mohamed Hussain Parkar, 63, a citizen of both India and the United Kingdom; Marketing Director Venkata Naga Madhusudhan Raju Manthena, 48, of India; and Marketing Representative Krishna Vericharla, 40, of India.
The defendants are also accused of conspiring and attempting to facilitate the unlawful importation of these chemicals.
VPC is accused of promoting fentanyl precursor chemicals for sale globally through its website, marketing materials, and international trade shows.
From last March to November, the defendants conspired to distribute a fentanyl precursor chemical with the knowledge it would be illegally imported into the United States and used to make fentanyl that would be illegally imported into the United States, according to the indictment.
In two instances, between last March and August, the defendants allegedly sold an undercover agent 25 kilograms of the fentanyl precursor chemical 1-(tert-Butoxycarbonyl)-4-piperidone, also known as N-BOC-4-piperidone (N-BOC-4P), which is classified as a List I chemical.
On top of that, between last August and September, the defendants allegedly negotiated with an undercover agent to purchase four metric tons of N-BOC-4P.
The deal included shipping two metric tons of the aforementioned contraband to Sinaloa, Mexico, and another two metric tons to the United States for a total price of approximately $380,000. The defendants were reportedly aware that the chemical would be illegally imported into the U.S. and used in the production of fentanyl.
If they are found guilty, the individual defendants could face up to 10 years in prison, while VPC may be fined $500,000 on each count.
Federal agents arrested Parkar and Manthena in New York City on Thursday morning.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Miami Field Division made the announcement of the arrests.
The investigation is being conducted by the DEA Miami Field Division’s Counternarcotic Cyber Investigations Task Force, a multi-agency unit led by the DEA that includes members from Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, and several state and local agencies across South Florida.
The Special Operations Unit of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section provided additional support in this investigation.
Acting Deputy Chief Melanie Alsworth and Trial Attorneys Jayce Born and Lernik Begian from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting this case.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
