What Is Fentanyl? UPSC Aspirants Must Know As ‘US Works With India'. There's China Link Too
Last Updated:
The FBI has been working with the Indian government to address the fentanyl crisis in the US.
The US government has recently flagged the health crisis surrounding the illegal use of fentanyl, which has led to multiple cases of overdose and addiction. The number of fentanyl- and other opioid-related deaths has been on the rise since 1999, with distinct waves of increase in cases. However, what has driven the crisis? As per a new US intelligence report, India has emerged as a growing player in the illicit fentanyl trade.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that can be more dangerous than morphine and is counted among the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths in the US. Creating a crisis in the country, fentanyl has become a top priority issue for the Trump administration. China has been the largest source of both legal supplies of the drug as well as illicit supplies of precursor chemicals, which are processed in Mexico before being smuggled to the US.
According to a 2025 Annual Threat Assessment (ATA) report published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 'Nonstate 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."
India And The US Working On the Fentanyl Crisis
While the US government is trying to tackle the crisis, FBI director Kash Patel has recently opened up on how the Trump administration has been working with the Indian government to address the matter. During his recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Patel explained how both countries have collaborated to dismantle the network, which uses India as a transit point for smuggling the chemical precursors from China to the Mexican drug cartels.
'They're going to places like India, and I'm also doing operations in India. You don't hear fentanyl deaths in India. You don't hear fentanyl deaths in England, Australia, New Zealand, or Five Eyes partners in Canada," he said while accusing the Chinese communist party of using fentanyl as a weapon against the US.
Patel also went on to detail how the FBI has maintained direct communication with the Indian authorities to tackle the issue. 'I just got off the phone with the Indian government. We're going to find these companies that buy it, and we're going to shut them down," he continued.
Fentanyl Topic For UPSC Students
With the United States intensifying its fight to disrupt the global fentanyl network, it can be perceived as a major topic in the UPSC examinations under the segment of current affairs.
What Is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is an opioid drug, just like morphine and heroin, made entirely in laboratories without any natural ingredients. Though it has been approved as a prescribed pain medicine, most of the fentanyl has contributed to the current overdose. Being more powerful than any other opioid, a small amount of fentanyl can cause a fatal overdose or changes in brain activity if used repeatedly.
Speaking of its impact, a recent study found that the use of fentanyl has 'nearly quadrupled" among people between the ages of 15 and 24 from 2018 to 2022.
First Published:
June 11, 2025, 13:54 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
UAE rule, wary I-T to deter dodgy crypto deals
Mumbai: In the lane to launder money, the skill to move cryptos to control companies and properties in Dubai has been honed over the past few years. But treading that alley would soon become tougher. Dual, albeit unrelated, developments in India and the UAE would force money movers to devise new tricks. First, Income tax (I-T) officials, hunting for illicit homes of Indians over the past six months, now strongly suspect that some property purchases were made with cryptocurrencies; second, a new regulatory regime in the Middle East country, would soon end payment in cryptos, other than stable coins, to freely buy goods and services. "When Indian residents use crypto to purchase real estate, they bypass Indian banking channels and FEMA scrutiny. But, under the new UAE regulations (expected from August), merchants would no longer accept crypto directly. Only entities licensed by the UAE Central Bank would be allowed to convert stablecoins to AED after collecting full KYC. While this framework ensures the buyer's identity is recorded, it remains unclear whether such data would be shared under the India-UAE tax treaty," said Purushottam Anand, founder of the law firm Crypto raiding a leading UAE developer having roots in Mumbai and clients across India, a northern office of the I-T department found that more than 460 buyers in the 650-odd property deals have no record of having remitted money through banks to acquire the properties. According to findings which were shared with other I-T centres two months ago, the arm of the UAE realtor which brokered the deals was aided by a network of 86 sub-brokers who later shared details with the tax office. According to tax circles, some of the clients had paid in cryptos, probably under the belief it would go untraced. Earlier this year, the department had found that hundreds of mule accounts were opened by a few persons in Kerala to deposit cash, use the money to buy cryptos -either on local platforms or through peer-to-peer transactions-and then move the coins to other wallets before encashing the them in UAE, or buying assets like properties, or transferring them to third parties. "When digital assets move from exchanges to P2P platforms or private wallets, monitoring becomes difficult, creating opportunities for illegal activities such as ransomware attacks, laundering, tax evasion, and potentially terrorist financing. Although the exchanges are required to report 'suspicious transactions', including withdrawals, with the Financial Intelligence Unit-India, such risks can be further addressed through stricter enforcement of TDS provisions, i.e. Sections 194S or 195, ensuring tax compliance for all crypto transactions, whether conducted on or off exchanges. Additionally, specifying the reporting entities and the format for disclosures under Section 285BAA will improve traceability," said Ashish Karundia, founder of the CA firm Ashish Karundia & Co. 'PAYMENT TOKEN REGULATIONS' The new 'Payment Token Services Regulation' lays down the rules and conditions established by the UAE Central Bank for granting a licence or registration for payment token services-which include payment token issuance, token conversion, and token custody and transfer. Under the rules no merchant or anyone in the UAE selling goods or services can accept a virtual asset unless it's a dirham payment token issued by a licensed issuer. Also, a bank cannot act as a payment token issuer. UAE is working on Dirham-linked stable coin (like USDT or Tether which is pegged to the dollar)."This would have implications for India which has close economic and financial ties with the UAE. By bringing digital assets such as payment tokens under a structured licensing and anti-money laundering framework, the regulation adds a layer of safety and transparency to cross-border digital financial flows. For Indian individuals and businesses engaging in the UAE's digital economy, on one hand this means greater clarity, reduced risk of fraud, and alignment with global best practices; on the other hand, the clear prohibition on anonymous crypto instruments like privacy tokens reinforces the global trend toward traceable and regulated digital transactions. This is something India is also actively pursuing through its own financial intelligence mechanisms. This would deter transactions in property, high value luxury products bought by Indians in UAE using crypto tokens," said Siddharth Banwat, partner at CA firm Banwat & Associates dealers said the UAE rules are not entirely fool-proof as coins can be routed through platforms in multiple jurisdictions whose cooperation would be vital to spot the trail. But the very presence of licensed intermediaries collecting and storing information would deter money movers.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Will US assist Israel to hit nuke sites in Iran? Top focus on 5ive Live
The top focus of this episode 5ive Live show is on the escalating Iran-Israel conflict and potential US involvement. As tensions escalated, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff, and other senior Israeli officials held talks with the Trump administration. Meanwhile, Trump has set a 2-week deadline for Iran to end the conflict and has also moved multiple B-2 bombers to the Indian Ocean region, raising questions about a potential strike on Iran. So, will the US assist Israel in hitting nuke sites in Iran? Watch the show to catch all the latest updates on this and more.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Wall Street choppy, oil dips as US holds back from Mideast military action
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Major Wall Street indexes closed lower on Friday while oil prices fell after U.S. President Donald Trump held back from immediate military action in the Israel-Iran conflict. All eyes remained trained on the Middle East one week after an initial Israeli assault drew Iranian retaliation. The U.S. imposed Iran-related sanctions a day after Trump said he might take two weeks to decide on further action. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 lost 0.21%, while the Nasdaq Composite shed 0.49%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, rose 38.47 points, or 0.09%, to 42,210.13. Stocks had been broadly positive at the open, and dipped in and out of negative territory during the session. Global benchmark Brent crude futures fell 2.3% to settle at $77.01 a barrel, but gained 3.6% in the week. Front-month U.S. crude - which did not settle on Thursday due to a U.S. holiday and expires on Friday - ended down 0.28% at $74.93, with a weekly gain of 2.7%. [O/R] "Investors are a little bit nervous about buying stocks right in front of this situation and, more specifically, right in front of this weekend," said Rick Meckler, a partner at Cherry Lane Investments in New Vernon, New Jersey. The new sanctions target entities, individuals and vessels providing Iran with defence machinery, and were seen as a sign of a diplomatic approach from the Trump administration. "However, while Israel and Iran carry on pounding away at each other, there can always be an unintended action that escalates the conflict and touches upon oil infrastructure," PVM analyst John Evans said. European foreign ministers urged Iran to engage with the U.S. over its nuclear programme after high-level talks in Geneva about a potential new nuclear deal ended with little sign of progress. Europe's main bourses [.EU] had ended their session a touch higher, following similar gains across Asia. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe fell 0.01% on the day. Gains on Hong Kong's Hang Seng, and South Korea's Kospi linked to newly elected President Lee Jae Myung's stimulus, had boosted Asian shares during that session. Federal Reserve policymakers made their first public comments since Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday that borrowing costs were likely to fall this year, but that he expects "meaningful" inflation ahead as Trump's tariffs raise prices for consumers. The close split between governors on how to manage the risks was in full view as Governor Christopher Waller said the central bank should consider cutting as soon as the next meeting, while the Richmond Fed's Tom Barkin said there was no urgency to cut. Powell had also cautioned on Wednesday against holding on too strongly to the forecasts. Treasury yields fell after Waller's comments, and as concerns about the Middle East conflict supported demand for safe haven bonds. The yield on benchmark 10-year notes fell 2 basis points to 4.375%, from 4.395% late on Wednesday. Demand rose for the U.S. dollar, pushing the greenback to a three-week high against the yen. The dollar rose 0.03% against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro , with the euro up 0.3% at $1.1528. The index is poised to rise 0.6% this week. Prices for gold, another traditional refuge, fell 0.13% to $3,365.91 and were poised for a weekly loss. (Reporting by Isla Binnie in New York, additional reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch, Karen Brettel and Georgina McCartney, Editing by Louise Heavens, Rod Nickel and Marguerita Choy)
