US DEA Seizes Over 200 Domains, Dismantles India-Based Criminal Network Selling Fake Prescription Drugs

(US): The US Drug Enforcement Administration on Thursday said it collaborated with Government of India law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and dismantle dangerous criminal organizations that engage in these types of illegal drug trafficking operations.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration, with the cooperation of the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, announced the seizure of more than 200 website domains tied to an India-based transnational criminal organization (TCO) working within the United States and allegedly responsible for at least six fatal and four non-fatal overdoses. The TCO tied to these illegal online pharmacies has been under investigation by DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division since 2022.

Beginning on January 27, 2026, DEA field offices throughout the United States conducted multiple operations leading to the arrest of four individuals along with the issuance of five Immediate Suspension Orders (ISO) and one Order to Show Cause (OTSC), both of which are administrative actions taken against DEA registrants in order to protect the public from dangers to public health or safety.

Under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), DEA regulates the handling, storage, and distribution of controlled substances in the custody of pharmacies. The CSA stipulates that pharmacies are only authorized to dispense controlled substances upon receipt of a valid prescription, issued for a legitimate medical purpose, by an individual practitioner acting in the usual course of his or her professional practice.

Investigators determined the operators of these online pharmacies and their co-conspirators were illegally dispensing and shipping diverted medications, without valid prescriptions, to customers throughout the United States, violating the CSA and dangerously infiltrating a closed system of distribution intended to keep patients safe.

Over the course of this investigation, DEA identified thousands of customers who purchased medication through these online pharmacies. Subsequently, DEA has sent more than 20,000 letters to the public requesting information in support of this ongoing investigation. 

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