A businessman from Gujarat has been sentenced to over four years in prison in the US for using his Surat-based company to smuggle chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl, a synthetic opioid illegally used in recreational drugs.US District Judge Pamela K Chen sentenced Bhavesh Lathiya, 37, to 54 months in prison. Lathiya, who founded and led Surat-based Raxuter Chemicals, pleaded guilty in April to smuggling and distributing precursor chemicals, knowing they would be used to manufacture fentanyl. He was also ordered to pay forfeiture of $24,560 and will be deported once his prison term ends.According to court filings cited by US Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr.’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Raxuter Chemicals sold and smuggled more than 50 pounds of chemicals commonly used in fentanyl manufacture, supplying buyers in the United States and Mexico.“During a national crisis when hundreds of Americans were dying every day of fentanyl overdoses, Lathiya smuggled and distributed chemical ingredients, including those that were the building blocks for this deadly drug, without any regard for the harm that his conduct would cause,” stated Attorney Nocella. He said the sentence sent a message that the office would “hold precursor traffickers like the defendant accountable for their role in the fentanyl supply chain”.The Surat-based company shipped its products through international mail and package carriers, and prosecutors said the chemicals it distributed covered all the materials needed to manufacture fentanyl through the most common synthesis routes. To evade detection at the border, Lathiya allegedly mislabelled packages and falsified customs declarations.One shipment delivered to an address in the Eastern District of New York on June 29, 2024, was declared on its manifest as ‘Vitamin C’. Court filings state that the package contained 1-Boc-4-piperidone, a List I chemical and unlawfully imported fentanyl precursor.Investigators from Homeland Security Investigations, New York, working under a Homeland Security Task Force, also recorded Lathiya discussing chemical sales over video calls with an undercover officer on October 2 and October 15, 2024. After the undercover officer told him that his “clients in Mexico were very happy with the quality of what you sent me” and with “the yield they got of the final product”, Lathiya agreed to sell 20 kilograms of 1-Boc-4-piperidone – a chemical building block. He proposed labelling the chemical as an antacid to avoid scrutiny.Story continues below this adThe undercover officer, referring to the substance, remarked that it was “a very controversial product” that was “banned,” adding that shipping to Mexico could be easier because of the pressure authorities faced “because of fentanyl”. On November 23, 2024, Raxuter Chemicals and Lathiya shipped roughly 20 kilograms of the chemical to the Eastern District of New York, mislabelled as an antacid.Homeland Security Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas said Lathiya’s conduct had placed him “at the source of the fentanyl supply chain, where he knowingly moved the chemical building blocks of a lethal drug into the United States through deception, false labeling, and international shipments in a prosecution that breaks new ground against an India based supplier”. He said the investigation reflected a resolve “to attack the fentanyl supply chain before the poison is manufactured, packaged, and sold to the public.”Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram