New York, October 26: Two Indian nationals, Ashish K. Jain and M. Eshwar Rao have been charged in a case related to the distribution of fentanyl and money laundering in which New Jersey-based Moises A. A middleman named Sanabria is also involved. Sanabria, 32, admitted that he acted as a middleman between an India-based drug distribution company and customers in the United States.
Sanabria pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Ashish K. Jain, age 37, faces an additional charge of distribution of a controlled substance.
Court documents show Sanabria received pills containing furanyl fentanyl and tapentadol from a pharmaceutical drug distribution center in India and shipped them to U.S. customers between January 2018 and March 2021. On several occasions, he sent orders to undercover agents working for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the Southern District of Illinois.
To facilitate the exchange of currency between the US and India for the drug proceeds, Sanabria established a limited liability company (LLC) in New York to transfer funds. This LLC hid $114,334 in drug proceeds between January and October 2021.
Both furanyl fentanyl and tapentadol are regulated under the Controlled Substances Act, with furanyl fentanyl classified as a Schedule I substance and tapentadol as a Schedule II substance.
The charges of conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of a controlled substance carry potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison. This case highlights the illegal and dangerous activities of transnational criminal organizations in profiting from the distribution of controlled substances and laundering illicit proceeds.