US DEA busts India-linked online drug ring, seizes 200 domains, arrests four

US authorities say the India-based network ran illegal online pharmacies that shipped controlled drugs without prescriptions, leading to multiple overdose deaths.

• DEA dismantled India-based network running illegal online pharmacies in the US
• Over 200 website domains seized and four individuals arrested in crackdown
• Network linked to at least six fatal overdoses and thousands of US customers

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The US Drug Enforcement Administration said on Thursday it has dismantled an India-based transnational criminal organization operating illegal online pharmacies in the United States, seizing more than 200 website domains and arresting four individuals in a multi-agency crackdown.

The DEA said the network, which has been under investigation since 2022, is allegedly linked to at least six fatal and four non-fatal overdoses in the US. The operation was carried out in coordination with Indian law enforcement agencies and the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

Beginning January 27, 2026, DEA field offices across the United States conducted coordinated enforcement actions that led to four arrests. Authorities also issued five Immediate Suspension Orders and one Order to Show Cause against DEA-registered entities, administrative measures aimed at preventing further threats to public health.

The criminal organization is believed to have operated a web of illegal online pharmacies that sold and shipped diverted medications to customers across the US without valid prescriptions.

Investigators said the pharmacies bypassed safeguards under US drug laws that restrict the dispensing of controlled substances to prescriptions issued for legitimate medical purposes by licensed practitioners. By operating outside this system, officials said, the network “dangerously infiltrated” a closed distribution chain designed to protect patients.

The probe was led by the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division, with cooperation from Indian authorities, which the agency credited for helping identify and dismantle the syndicate.

Over the course of the investigation, the DEA identified thousands of US customers who purchased medications from the illegal online pharmacies. The agency said it has sent more than 20,000 letters to members of the public seeking information to support the ongoing case.

Authorities said the investigation remains active and additional enforcement actions are possible.