Two Indian nationals were arrested by US federal prosecutors in a conspiracy of distributing fentanyl and launder drug proceeds. The Indian accused have been identified as Aashish K Jain (37) and M Eshwar Rao. A New Jersey named Moises A Sanabria (32) also pleaded guilty before a US District Court in Southern Illinois for acting as a middleman between an India-based pharmaceutical distribution company and customers in the US.Drug distribution conspiracyThe US court documents report that Sanabria received pills including furanyl fentanyl and tapentado from a pharmaceutical drug distribution centre in India to New Jersey. He used to directly ship the orders to US customers between January 2018 and March 2021, according to the media.Media reports also mention that Sanabria shipped orders to undercover agents for the Drug Enforcement Administration working in the Southern District of Illinois on multiple occasions, the federal prosecutors said.The drugs furanyl fentanyl are on Schedule I and tapentadol on Schedule II and are regulated federally under the Controlled Substances Act.US Drug Enforcement Administration head says...Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Rehg, head of Drug Enforcement Administration enforcement operations in southern Illinois, said, This man fooling people into thinking that pharmaceutical medications can be purchased without a prescription and mailed from India is not someone to buy anything from.” Laundering his illegal proceeds back to India is just another example of how these international criminal organisations illegally profit off Americans, Rehg said To exchange currency between the US and India for drug proceeds.Sanabria, who acted as the middleman in this drug deal had established a Limited Liability Company (LLC) based in New York to transfer money. A total sum of USD 114,334 was held and concealed by the LLC in the drug proceeds from January to October 2021, the Department of Justice said.Money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of a controlled substance are all punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment.
