The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has shut down more than 200 website domains linked to an India-based transnational criminal organisation (TCO). The group is suspected of causing at least six deaths and four non-fatal overdoses through illegal drug sales. Four people have been arrested so far. The DEA worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York to carry out this operation. According to the DEA, the Rocky Mountain Field Division has been investigating this TCO since 2022. "Leveraging its global reach, DEA actively collaborates with our Government of India law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and dismantle dangerous criminal organisations that engage in these types of illegal drug trafficking operations," the DEA stated. The crackdown, called Operation Meltdown, began on January 27. It also included five Immediate Suspension Orders and one Order to Show Cause against DEA-registered pharmacies. The DEA revealed that these online pharmacies improperly filled hundreds of thousands of orders for diverted pharmaceuticals and counterfeit pills without valid prescriptions. The agency has reached out to hundreds of customers who bought medicine through these illegal sites. Many sites claimed to be U.S.-based and FDA-approved. However, their operators worked with traffickers to supply counterfeit pills or diverted drugs. These fake medicines often contained fentanyl or methamphetamine, posing serious health risks, including death. DEA Administrator Terrance Cole commented, "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." Earlier in 2024, the DEA warned U.S. citizens about the rising threat of illegal online pharmacies selling counterfeit pills. The agency vows to continue joint actions to stop illicit pharmaceutical distributors at the source.