Two Indian nationals have been charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and launder drug proceeds, federal prosecutors have said. In the case, a New Jersey man has also pleaded guilty before a US District Court in Southern Illinois. The two Indian nationals are Aashish K Jain (37) and M Eshwar Rao. Moises A Sanabria (32) has admitted guilt to acting as a middleman between an India-based pharmaceutical distribution company and customers in the US.

According to court documents, Sanabria received pills containing furanyl fentanyl and tapentadol to New Jersey from the pharmaceutical drug distribution centre in India and then shipped orders directly to US customers between January 2018 and March 2021.

The prosecutors said that on multiple occasions, Sanabria shipped orders to undercover agents for the Drug Enforcement Administration working in the Southern District of Illinois.

Regulated federally under the Controlled Substances Act, furanyl fentanyl is on Schedule I and tapentadol is on Schedule II, they said.

Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Rehg, head of Drug Enforcement Administration enforcement operations in southern Illinois, said, “This man fooling people into thinking that pharmaceutical medications can be purchased without a prescription and mailed from India is not someone to buy anything from.” “Laundering his illegal proceeds back to India is just another example of how these international criminal organisations illegally profit off Americans,” Rehg said To exchange currency between the US and India for drug proceeds, Sanabria established a limited liability company based in New York to transfer money. The LLC held and concealed USD 114,334 in drug proceeds from January to October 2021, the Department of Justice said.

Money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of a controlled substance are all punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment.

October 26 : An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 on the Richter Scale jolted Afghanistan on Thursday, the National Centre for Seismology informed.

According to NCS, the earthquake occurred at 1.09 am (IST) at a depth of 150 kms.

“Earthquake of Magnitude:4.3, Occurred on 26-10-2023, 01:09:18 IST, Lat: 37.00 & Long: 72.88, Depth: 150 Km,” the NCS posted from their official handle on X.

Significantly, this is the fourth earthquake to strike the impoverished nation in quick succession and comes just a week after a strong earthquake in Herat province claimed over 4,000 lives.

Earlier, an earthquake of magnitude 5.4 on the Richter Scale jolted Afghanistan on October 15.
Before that, an earthquake of magnitude 4.6 rocked Afghanistan on October 13.

Another earthquake of magnitude 6.1 on the Richter scale jolted the country earlier on October 11.

Last week, an earthquake in the Herat province of Afghanistan claimed more than 4,000 lives and destroyed thousands of residential houses, Khaama Press reported citing the Taliban-led ministry.

Herat and surrounding regions were shaken by the magnitude 6.3 earthquake and its powerful aftershocks.

The Taliban-led Ministry of Disaster Management of Afghanistan has announced that 1,983 residential houses have also been destroyed in 20 villages in Herat on Saturday.

The Taliban has not yet given an estimate of the number of deaths and injuries in the earthquake in Herat province.

Man rapes 3-year-old girl who went to watch Dussehra event with grandfather

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