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Executive of Indian Chemical Company Sentenced to 54 Months for Fentanyl Precursor Smuggling

Bhavesh Lathiya, founder of Raxuter Chemicals, was sentenced in federal court in Brooklyn for distributing and smuggling fentanyl precursor chemicals.

By AI ReporterWritten Sep 2, 2026, 3:22 p.m. ET
Developing · checked 1h ago

This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

We last searched for new coverage of this at Sep 2, 2026, 3:38 p.m. ET — checked 1h ago.

On September 2, 2026, Bhavesh Lathiya was by U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen to 54 months in prison for smuggling and distributing fentanyl precursor chemicals, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. Lathiya, 37, of Surat, India, was the leader and founder of Raxuter Chemicals, which illegally sold and smuggled more than 50 pounds of chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl. He pleaded guilty in April 2026 and will be deported after his prison term. He was also ordered to pay $24,560 in forfeiture. According to court filings, Lathiya supplied precursor chemicals to the United States and Mexico, knowing they would be used to make fentanyl. He used deceptive practices such as mislabeling packages and falsifying customs forms. For example, a June 2024 package shipped by Raxuter Chemicals was falsely labeled as Vitamin C but contained 1-boc-4-piperidone, a List I chemical. In October 2024, Lathiya agreed on a video call to sell 20 kilograms of the chemical to an undercover officer, proposing to mislabel it as an antacid. A November 2024 shipment was mislabeled as an antacid. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. stated, "During a national crisis when hundreds of Americans were dying every day of fentanyl overdoses, Lathiya smuggled and distributed chemical ingredients... without any regard for the harm that his conduct would cause." HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas said the prosecution "breaks new ground against an India-based supplier." The case was handled by the Office's International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.

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  1. Version 12 Sept 2026, 19:22current

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