US Cracks Down on Surat Chemical Firms Supplying Precursors to Mexican Fentanyl Cartels

Gujarat’s chemical manufacturing hub in Surat has emerged as a major node in the global illicit fentanyl trade, prompting the US Treasury Department to slap sanctions on local suppliers accused of feeding precursor materials to Mexican drug cartels.

Following China’s recent nationwide crackdown on the export of synthetic opioid ingredients, international trafficking networks shifted their procurement operations to India. Gujarat, which accounts for roughly half of the country’s chemical production with over 5,000 units and major maritime access through Mundra and Pipavav ports, has become a primary target for illicit cartels exploiting regulatory loopholes.

Investigations by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) revealed that Surat-based Ethos Chemicals allegedly manipulated end-user certificates to source critical precursor chemicals, including N-Boc-4-piperidone and ANPP.