India-Based Chemical Company and Top Employees Indicted for Unlawful Import of Fentanyl Precursor Chemicals
Defendants also Allegedly Conspired to Send Four Metric Tons of a Precursor Chemical to the United States and Mexico for the Manufacture of Fentanyl
An India-based chemical manufacturing company and three high-level employees were charged in federal court in Washington, D.C., today related to illegally importing precursor chemicals used to make illicit fentanyl.
According to the indictment, Vasudha Pharma Chem Limited (VPC), VPC Chief Global Business Officer Tanweer Ahmed Mohamed Hussain Parkar, 63, of India and the United Kingdom; VPC Marketing Director Venkata Naga Madhusudhan Raju Manthena, 48, of India; and VPC Marketing Representative Krishna Vericharla, 40, of India, were charged with multiple counts of manufacturing and distributing a List I fentanyl precursor chemical for unlawful importation into the United States, and attempting and conspiring to do the same.
It is alleged VPC advertised fentanyl precursor chemicals for sale worldwide on its website, in marketing materials, and at international trade shows. From March through November 2024, the defendants conspired to distribute a fentanyl precursor chemical knowing it would be unlawfully imported into the United States and used to make fentanyl that would be unlawfully imported into the United States, according to the indictment. On two occasions, in March 2024 and August 2024, the defendants sold an undercover agent 25 kilograms of the fentanyl precursor chemical 1-(tert-Butoxycarbonyl)-4-piperidone, also called N-BOC-4-piperidone, (N-BOC-4P), a List I chemical.
It is further alleged that between August and September 2024, defendants and the undercover agent negotiated a four-metric-ton (4,000 kilogram) purchase of N-BOC-4P – two metric tons of N-BOC-4P to be shipped to Sinaloa, Mexico, and another two metric tons of N-BOC-4P to be shipped to the United States – for a total price of approximately $380,000, knowing that the N-BOC-4P would be unlawfully imported into the United States and used to manufacture fentanyl that would be unlawfully imported into the United States.
The four-count indictment charges all defendants with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a listed chemical for unlawful importation into the United States and for the manufacture and distribution of a controlled substance for unlawful importation into the United States; manufacture and distribution of a listed chemical for unlawful importation into the United States; and attempted manufacture and distribution of a listed chemical for unlawful importation into the United States and for the manufacture and distribution of a controlled substance for unlawful importation into the United States. Additionally, defendants VPC, Vericharla, and Manthena are charged with a second count of manufacture and distribution of a listed chemical for unlawful importation into the United States. If convicted, the individual defendants face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. VPC faces a fine of $500,000 on each count.
Federal agents arrested Parkar and Manthena in New York City this morning.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the DEA Miami Field Division made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division’s Counternarcotic Cyber Investigations Task Force, a DEA-led multi-agency task force with members from Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, and state and local agencies from south Florida, are investigating the case. The Special Operations Unit of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section provided support.
