With only a week left until Trump administration kicks-off another round of tariffs, a United States’ intek report has named India, along with China, as a “state actor”, accusing them of helping drug traffickers by supplying chemicals and equipment, particularly for making illegal fentanyl.
The “2025 Annual Threat Assessment” was released on Tuesday. It is the Intelligence Community’s official report on various threats to US citizens, the country, and its interests around the world. According to the report, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are still the deadliest drugs coming into the United States, causing over 52,000 deaths in the year leading up to October 2024, a PTI report said.
Fentanyl is a powerful drug that has caused a major drug addiction problem in the US. The Trump administration has its target on the illegal import of fentanyl and due to this, Trump has justified its tariff adjustments in case of some countries.
The report mentions that some international criminal groups are producing and trafficking large amounts of illegal drugs, putting American lives and jobs at risk. Mexican criminal organisations, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the New Generation Jalisco Cartel, are the main suppliers of drugs like fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine to the US.
The report also states that non-state groups are often helped by countries like China and India, which provide chemicals and equipment used by drug traffickers. It further claims that China remains the main source of illegal fentanyl chemicals and pill-pressing machines, followed by India which is also being a significant supplier.
Last week, a chemical company in India and three of its top employees were charged in a federal court in Washington DC for illegally importing chemicals used to make fentanyl. Federal agents had also arrested two senior employees of a company based in Hyderabad in New York City.