Key Summary
- The criminal organisation has been under investigation by the US Drug Enforcement Administration since 2022.
- DEA field offices throughout the United States conducted multiple operations leading to the arrest of four people.
- These counterfeit medications are often made with fentanyl or methamphetamine.
US federal authorities have busted an India-based transnational criminal organisation having illegal online pharmacies allegedly responsible for at least six fatal and four non-fatal overdoses and arrested four people.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has seized more than 200 website domains and conducted multiple operations across the country to carry out the arrests as part of Operation Meltdown.
The criminal organisation has been under investigation by DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division since 2022.
The DEA said that it had leveraged its global reach, the agency actively collaborates with the Indian government authorities, to identify, investigate, and dismantle dangerous criminal organisations involved in drug trafficking.
Through joint operations, the DEA will continue to pursue significant enforcement actions against illicit pharmaceutical distributors at the source and remains steadfast in its efforts to disrupt the flow of illicit pharmaceuticals that threaten public health and safety of American citizens, it said.
Authorities said that beginning 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).
These actions were in addition to the US Government shutting down more than 200 online pharmacies accused of filling hundreds of thousands of orders of diverted pharmaceuticals and counterfeit pills without valid prescriptions.
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 federal rules and regulations.
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.
“This case demonstrates how foreign-based traffickers exploit our healthcare system, hide behind the internet, and use people inside the United States to move dangerous drugs under the guise of legitimate commerce,” DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said.
“Illegal online pharmacies put poison in American communities. They sell counterfeit and unapproved pills and do not care who gets hurt or who dies. Actions like this save lives. They protect the American people.
"If you run these sites, supply them, move the money, ship the product, or help them operate, we will find you, we will dismantle your operations, and we will hold you fully accountable under US law.”
Earlier in 2024, DEA issued a Public Service Announcement warning Americans about an increase in illegal online pharmacies.
Many of the sites taken down as part of Operation Meltdown claimed to be legitimate, based in the US, and FDA-approved, but DEA's investigation determined operators of these sites were often working with drug traffickers to fulfill online orders with counterfeit pills or diverted pharmaceuticals, it added.
These counterfeit medications are often made with fentanyl or methamphetamine, and taking them can lead to serious health risks, including harmful side effects, ineffective treatment, and even death.
MHRA seizures
In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), working with law enforcement partners, seized almost 20 million doses of illegally traded medicines, with a potential street value of nearly £45 million, during 2025.
The MHRA also worked with internet service providers to disrupt more than 1,500 websites and social media accounts illegally selling medical products to the public and removed more than 1,200 social media posts during the year.
