FBI official Kash Patel has revealed that the United States is collaborating with Indian authorities to dismantle a China-backed fentanyl supply chain that fuels the US opioid crisis. Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Patel emphasized the urgency of cooperation between the FBI and Indian enforcement agencies to curb the smuggling of chemical precursors used to manufacture fentanyl.
“They’re going to places like India, and I’m also doing operations in India,” Patel said on the podcast.
He clarified that while India is not a significant consumer of fentanyl, the country has become a critical transit hub for chemicals originating in China and destined for Mexican drug cartels.
Chinese Suppliers Using India as a Transit Point
Chinese firms allegedly exploiting Indian routes to dodge scrutiny
Patel accused China of intentionally rerouting fentanyl precursors through India to avoid global enforcement. “You don’t hear fentanyl deaths in India. You don’t really hear fentanyl deaths in England, Australia, New Zealand, or Five Eyes partners in Canada,” he explained. “The CCP have used it as a directed approach because we are their adversary.”
He alleged that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views fentanyl as a strategic weapon aimed at weakening the United States by targeting its youth. “Why don’t we go and take out generations of young men and women who might grow up to serve in the United States military, or become a cop, or become a teacher?” he added.
FBI and India Launch Joint Crackdown
Cross-border cooperation intensifies to curb precursor supply
Patel confirmed that the FBI has already established direct communication with Indian agencies. “I literally just got off the phone with the Indian government,” he said. “I said, I need your help. This stuff’s coming into your country and then they’re moving it from your country because India is not consuming fentanyl.” He stated that operations are already underway to identify and dismantle chemical suppliers operating from India.
“We’re going to find these companies that buy it and we’re going to shut them down,” he added. “We’re going to sanction them. We’re going to arrest them where we can. We’re going to indict them in America if we can. We’re going to indict them in India if we can.”
Indian Firms Named in US Indictments
Pharma companies accused of aiding fentanyl trade
According to a Times of India report cited in the podcast, several Indian chemical firms have already been indicted by US authorities. Among them are:
-
Vasudha Pharma Chem Limited, along with two executives, charged with conspiring to ship four metric tons of NPP (a fentanyl precursor) to the US and Mexico.
-
Raxuter Chemicals and Athos Chemicals Pvt Ltd were also named for allegedly supplying similar substances.
Personal and Strategic Outreach
Patel’s Indian heritage strengthens diplomatic engagement
Patel, whose parents hail from Gujarat, noted that his outreach to India was both professional and personal. “India is not the problem,” he said. “But if we don’t get ahead of it, it could become one.”
He warned that Mexican cartels are also using Canada as a new trafficking hub after facing tighter scrutiny on the US-Mexico border.
“They’re flying it into Vancouver,” he explained. “They’re taking the precursors up to Canada, manufacturing it up there, and doing their global distribution routes from up there because we were being so effective down south.”
Fentanyl: A National Security Threat
China’s role seen as strategic, not financial
Patel said China’s interest in the fentanyl trade is not financial but ideological. “They’re not making a ton of money off it,” he said. “So it’s really just for that purpose.”
He added that precursors have already been detected in multiple countries and warned of future deployment by the CCP. “The fentanyl itself isn’t being deployed into your country, but it’s there being manufactured,” he said. “The CCP just hasn’t directed it at you yet, and they know that.”
Patel estimated that synthetic opioids caused over 74,000 deaths in the US in 2023, labeling the crisis as “a tier one national security threat.”
