Chandigarh, 27 March 2025 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau): With just a week left for the Donald Trump administration’s tit-for-tat tariff to kick in, the United States has now named India, along with China, a “state actor” in enabling direct and indirect supply of precursor chemicals and equipment used by drug traffickers, particularly in the production of illicit fentanyl.
The ‘2025 Annual Threat Assessment (ATA)’—a coordinated evaluation of global threats to US interests—released on Tuesday stated the growing role of these countries in supplying materials that fuel the ongoing fentanyl crisis in the United States.
According to the report, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids remain the deadliest drugs trafficked into the US, responsible for over 52,000 deaths in the 12-month period ending October 2024.
The Trump administration has intensified its crackdown on fentanyl trafficking and has even linked trade policies with certain countries to their role in the illicit drug supply chain, however this is the first time when Washington has placed New Delhi on the same level as Beijing in connection with the supply of precursor chemicals used by drug cartels to manufacture opioids like fentanyl.
While Mexico-based transnational criminal organisations (TCOs), such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, continue to dominate the production and distribution of illicit drugs, the report states that they rely on precursors and equipment from state actors like China and India.
“Non-state groups are often enabled, both directly and indirectly, by state actors, such as China and India as sources of precursors and equipment for drug traffickers. China remains the primary source country for illicit fentanyl precursor chemicals and pill pressing equipment, followed by India,” the assessment published by the office of Tulsi Gabbard, US Director of National Intelligence (DNI), notes.
The findings follow a recent federal case in Washington DC, where an India-based chemical manufacturing company and three of its executives were charged with illegally importing fentanyl precursors. Two top-ranking employees of a Hyderabad-based company were also arrested in New York City last week in connection with the case.
Beyond the drug trade, the report also flagged ‘Transnational Islamic Extremists’ and said, ISIS’s most aggressive branches, including ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), and its entrepreneurial plotters will continue to seek to attack the West, including the United States, via online outreach and propaganda aimed at directing, enabling, or inspiring attacks, and could exploit vulnerable travel routes.
Beyond the drug trade, the report also flagged ‘Transnational Islamic Extremists’ and said, ISIS’s most aggressive branches, including ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), and its entrepreneurial plotters will continue to seek to attack the West, including the United States, via online outreach and propaganda aimed at directing, enabling, or inspiring attacks, and could exploit vulnerable travel routes.
In South Asia, Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) operations in recent years have focused exclusively on targeting Pakistan, probably to avoid drawing more counter-terrorism pressure, it said.
However, it observed, “TTP’s capabilities, historical ties to al-Qaida, and previous support to operations targeting the United States keep us concerned about the potential future threat. Anti-India groups, including Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, similarly concern us in part because of their historical links with al-Qaida.”
Meanwhile, Trump has threatened to impose reciprocal duties on several countries as part of his “Liberation Day” tariffs set to take effect on April 2. However, India is in talks with America to expedite a free trade deal that could help it avoid some of these taxes.
Summary: The US accuses India and China of involvement in fentanyl trafficking, escalating tensions as Trump threatens new tariffs.