Bloomberg reported on November 26, amid the advancement of U.S.-India trade negotiations, the U.S. has raised concerns by accusing several Indian pharmaceutical companies of "illegally trafficking fentanyl." In March 2025, U.S. intelligence agencies listed India as the second-largest supplier of fentanyl precursor chemicals and tablet-making equipment after China. In September, the U.S. Department of State included India along with China, Colombia, and Mexico as a "major drug transit country" or "illicit narcotic production country." Furthermore, the U.S. judicial authorities have accused several Indian pharmaceutical companies of issues such as adulteration, manufacturing counterfeit medicines and substandard medical devices, and smuggling illegal drugs like "fentanyl." However, some cases are in the regulatory gray area between the U.S. and India, and due to the large scale of India's chemical and pharmaceutical industry, the processing period is long, making convictions challenging. According to sources, U.S. drug control experts had previously proposed to the Trump administration that India's influence in the supply chain of "lethal opioids" is growing, with a large amount of "fentanyl" drugs being exported to the U.S., so the U.S. should consider increasing tariff pressure on India based on this reason. Notably, Modi called for initiating a drug control initiative at the G20 summit on November 22, to combat dangerous drugs like fentanyl. Analysts point out that this move aims to send a signal to the U.S., indicating that India maintains a high level of alignment with the U.S. in combating drugs.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1849960186563588/
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