India Among Nations Named by Trump in U.S. Presidential Drug Order
Washington: India has been named among the countries identified as major drug transit or major illicit drug-producing nations by United States President Donald Trump in a determination submitted to Congress for the fiscal year 2026.
“A country’s presence on the foregoing list is not necessarily a reflection of its government’s counterdrug efforts or level of cooperation with the United States,” the order stated. No further details regarding India were provided in the order, while it carried extensive remarks directed at several other countries.
Incidentally, India has been consistently named in the U.S. list of major drug transit or major illicit drug-producing countries over the past several years. Reports show India featured in this list at least since 2019 (during Trump administration), including designations by the Trump administration and continued inclusion by subsequent administrations up to 2025. The U.S. includes India due to geographic, commercial, and economic factors that facilitate drug transit or production, despite India’s active counter-narcotics efforts.
Along with India, the full list included Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
The order designated Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, and Venezuela as countries that had “failed demonstrably” in the past 12 months to adhere to international counternarcotics obligations. Justifications accompanied these designations, as required by law, and the President further determined that U.S. assistance to Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, and Venezuela remained vital to American national interests.
The determination painted a stark picture of transnational organised crime’s trafficking of fentanyl and other illicit substances into the United States, calling it a national emergency and the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 44. The note cited that in 2024, the United States averaged more than 200 daily deaths due to illicit drugs, and that more than 40 per cent of Americans knew someone who had died from an opioid overdose.
President Trump declared that U.S. borders had been fortified for the first time in four years through law enforcement and military resources, curbing the flow of drugs, traffickers, and related threats. He said overdose deaths were beginning to decline significantly for the first time in over a decade.
The note detailed U.S. coordination with Canada and Mexico, highlighting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s appointment of a fentanyl czar and legislative initiatives, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s deployment of 10,000 National Guard troops to the U.S. border, major fentanyl seizures, and the extradition of 29 high-value cartel figures to U.S. custody. The President emphasised that while important progress had been made, Mexico must sustain these actions and target cartel leadership, labs, precursor supply chains, and finances more aggressively.
The order also referenced the U.S. designation of Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organisations, expanding authorities to dismantle these groups, apply sanctions, prosecute perpetrators, and restrict visas for associates.
Regarding China, the order accused Beijing of being the largest global source of precursor chemicals for fentanyl and related substances, asserting that Chinese exports fuelled both Mexican cartel operations and wider narcotics epidemics, including methamphetamine and nitazenes. The United States announced tariffs and trade restrictions against China for failing to curb the illicit flows.
On Colombia, the order criticised record-high coca cultivation and cocaine output under President Gustavo Petro, describing efforts as worsened by the political leadership’s failure to eradicate coca. Although Colombia’s institutions were commended for their courage, the order designated the country as failing demonstrably to meet narcotics control obligations.
Venezuela was cited for its role as a hub of cocaine trafficking, directed by what the order termed the “criminal regime” of Nicolás Maduro. The United States pledged to pursue Maduro and associates, as well as Venezuelan-linked foreign terrorist organisations.
Bolivia was noted to have shown limited progress, including cooperation in prosecuting its former anti-drug chief, Maximiliano Dávila, but the country was urged to do more to meet commitments.
Afghanistan, under Taliban control, was flagged for ongoing drug production, including methamphetamine, despite an announced ban. The order said Taliban-linked actors profited from the trade, which financed terrorism and transnational crime.
The President concluded by authorising submission of the memorandum, including justifications, to Congress and directed its publication in the Federal Register.
– global bihari bureau
