New Delhi/Washington, September 19, 2025 (Agencies): The United States has revoked and denied visas of several Indian business executives and corporate leaders over their alleged involvement in trafficking fentanyl precursors — chemicals used to produce the powerful synthetic opioid that has been driving record overdose deaths in the US.
In a statement on Thursday, the US embassy in New Delhi confirmed that the action also applies to close family members of those targeted, who may now be deemed ineligible to travel to the US. Executives connected with companies previously accused of trafficking fentanyl precursors will also face heightened scrutiny during future visa applications.
“The US embassy in New Delhi is committed to fighting illicit drug trafficking,” said Chargé d’Affaires Jorgan Andrews. He warned that individuals and their families involved in such activities may face “consequences that may include being denied access to the United States.”
The embassy did not name the individuals affected, but stressed that the decision was taken under the provisions of the US Immigration and Nationality Act, in line with President Donald Trump’s stated priority of stopping the flow of synthetic narcotics into the country.
The announcement follows a series of recent indictments targeting India-based companies. In January, the US Department of Justice charged Raxuter Chemicals, Athos Chemicals, and Bhavesh Lathiya, a senior executive of Raxuter, with conspiring to distribute and import fentanyl precursors. Lathiya was arrested on January 4. In March, federal prosecutors also charged Vasudha Pharma Chem Ltd and three of its senior employees with illegally manufacturing and distributing the controlled substances, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
President Trump, in a statement to the US Congress this week, named India among 23 major drug transit or illicit drug-producing countries — while noting that the designation does not reflect the government’s counter-narcotics efforts. The US embassy expressed gratitude to Indian authorities for their “close cooperation to combat this shared challenge.”