Five Queens residents arrested after allegedly selling millions of opioids

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels.

By Victoria Merlino

Five Queens residents were arrested Friday after allegedly selling millions of opioid pills out of a Queens warehouse over the course of a year.

Long Island City resident Mukul Chugh; Jamaica resident Parthiban Narayanasamy; and Richmond Hill residents Gulab Gulab, Ezhil Sezhuab Kamaldoss and Baljeet Singh were arrested on Sept. 12, along with three other alleged co-conspirators from Long Island. 

“As alleged, the defendants participated in a black market for prescription medications by distributing millions of opioid pills in tens of thousands of transactions in one year alone,” stated U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Richard Donoghue in a statement.

“This Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute those who profit from the suffering wrought by opioid distribution in the United States,” he continued.

Since 2018, law enforcement officials were investigating importation of mislabeled controlled substances, like the opioid Tramadol, into the United States from India. The eight defendants allegedly received shipments of these substances, repackaged them and mailed them to customers across the United States. 

Throughout the investigation, the defendants allegedly distributed millions of pills.

If convicted, Kamaldoss ⁠— who was also charged with money laundering ⁠— faces up to 25 years in prison. The seven other individuals, if convicted, face up to five years in prison.