Washington DC [US], May 13 (ANI): The US State Department has announced visa restrictions on 13 individuals linked to a network allegedly involved in illicit fentanyl trafficking as part of Washington's ongoing crackdown on the global drug trade.

In a statement issued by State Department spokesperson Thomas 'Tommy' Pigott on Tuesday, the department said the action targets close business associates of KS International Traders, a firm alleged to be involved in the sale of counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl, adding that the targeted company, based in India, had allegedly generated revenue through trafficking activities that contributed to widespread harm in the United States.

According to the statement, KS International Traders and its associates are accused of distributing 'hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills laced with illicit fentanyl,' leading to severe public health consequences across the US.

'Illicit fentanyl is killing too many Americans. Sanctioned online pharmacies like KS International Traders, based in India, have sold hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills laced with illicit fentanyl to unsuspecting victims across the United States, devastating families and communities nationwide,' the statement read.

'The Department of State is announcing steps to impose visa restrictions on 13 individuals who are close business associates of KS International Traders and its owner. KS International Traders generated revenue through the trafficking of illicit fentanyl, which President Trump designated as a Weapon of Mass Destruction,' it added.

The State Department further said the measures are being taken under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the US government to impose visa restrictions on individuals linked to activities deemed harmful to national interests.

'This action underscores the United States' and India's enduring and shared commitment to dismantling illicit drug entities and disrupting trafficking networks that harm Americans,' the statement further read.

The US government added that individuals involved in facilitating such trafficking operations will be denied entry into the country as part of its broader effort to curb the illegal fentanyl supply chain.

Last year in September, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on two Indian nationals - Sadiq Abbas Habib Sayyed and Khizar Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh - along with the online pharmacy, KS International Traders, for their roles in supplying hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl and other illicit drugs to victims across the United States.

The action targets the growing threat of illegal online pharmacies contributing to the US opioid crisis. (ANI)