Vitamin C, Antacid Disguise Exposed: Indian National Sentenced in US Fentanyl Case
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Gujarat Man Sentenced to 4.5 Years in US for Fentanyl Chemical Smuggling
Indian National Sentenced to 54 Months in US Prison for Smuggling Fentanyl-Making Chemicals
A 37-year-old man from Gujarat, Bhavesh Ranchhodbhai Lathiya, has been sentenced to 54 months (4.5 years) in a US federal prison for his role in smuggling chemicals used in the manufacture of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.
According to US prosecutors, Lathiya disguised the chemicals as vitamin C and antacid tablets to evade detection and bring them into the United States. He was identified as the founder and leader of Raxuter Chemicals, a Surat-based company allegedly involved in supplying and smuggling more than 50 pounds of fentanyl-related chemicals into the US.
Prosecutors described the case as the first of its kind involving an India-based supplier of fentanyl-related precursor chemicals.
Lathiya was arrested in New York in January 2025 and pleaded guilty in April 2026. Following completion of his sentence, expected in March 2031, he will be deported from the United States.
The court has also ordered him to forfeit $24,560, approximately ₹23 lakh.
