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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Community News India Times (May 16, 2026 - May 22, 2026) May 22, 2026 9 Business US To Impose Visa Curbs On 13 People Linked To Indian Firm Over Fentanyl T he United States has said it was imposing visa restrictions on 13 people linked to Indian online pharmacy KS International Traders for selling counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl. The 13 people are close associates of KS Inter- national Traders, which operates out of India, and its owner, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday. The Mumbai-based company’s web site, as listed in U.S. government records, could not be accessed. No names or contacts of its senior executives were available. India’s foreign and health ministries did not immedi- ately respond to requests for comment. KS International Traders generated revenue through trafficking in fentanyl, which President Donald Trump has designated as a “weapon of mass destruction”, the State Department said. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid used for pain relief, but it is tightly restricted in the United States because of its high potency and its role in a surge in overdose deaths linked to illicit use. “Illicit fentanyl is killing too many Americans. Those complicit in poisoning Americans will be denied entry to the United States,” State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott said in a statement. This is not the first time that the U.S. government has pulled up KS International Traders. The online pharmacy, along with two Indian nationals, was sanctioned last year for supplying counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills. The company sold hundreds of thousands of counter- feit prescription pills containing illicit fentanyl to people in the United States, harming families and communities nationwide, the State Department said on Tuesday. The United States last year announced a new visa restriction policy aimed at stopping the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the country. - Reuters J ashanpreet Singh, founder of the Punjabi Devils Motorcycle Club, was sentenced Monday to five years and four months in federal prison for unlaw- fully dealing firearms and possessing a machine gun, federal authorities announced. U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd handed down the sentence in federal court in Sacramento, according to U.S. Attorney Eric Grant. Federal prosecutors said Singh, 27, of Lodi, founded the Stockton-based Punjabi Devils Motorcycle Club, which authorities described as an outlaw motorcycle gang associated with the Hells Angels. According to court documents, Singh attempted to sell multiple weapons to an undercover officer on June 6, 2025, including a short-barreled rifle, three assault weapons, three machine gun conversion devices and a revolver. Law enforcement officers later searched Singh’s resi- dence and recovered additional firearms and weapons- related items, including a machine gun, another machine gun conversion device and a silencer. Authorities also discovered a pineapple-style hand grenade and what investigators believed to be a military electronic capped claymore mine. The San Joaquin Coun- ty Sheriff’s Office bomb squad destroyed the explosive devices at the scene, officials said. Singh initially faced charges in San Joaquin County Superior Court but failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing on July 21, 2025, prompting a bench warrant for his arrest. Federal authorities later learned Singh had booked a flight to India departing from San Francisco Inter- national Airport on July 26, 2025. FBI agents and other officers arrested him at the airport before he could leave the country. He has remained in federal custody since his arrest. The investigation involved multiple federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investiga- tion, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Ex- plosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Home- land Security Investigations, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case. Federal officials said the case was part of “Operation Take Back America,” a nationwide Department of Justice initiative targeting violent crime, transnational criminal organizations and illegal immigration enforcement. A ir India saidWednesday it will temporarily reduce or suspend several international flights between June and August due to airspace restrictions in parts of the world and rising jet fuel prices linked to the Iran conflict. The airline said the war-related disrup- tions have led to airspace closures and longer rerouting requirements, increasing operational costs for airlines globally. Air India, in which Singapore Airlines holds about a 25% stake and the remain- ing ownership is held by Tata Sons, has also been dealing with mounting financial losses and operational challenges. The airline said the impact of the con- flict has been compounded by Pakistan’s continuing ban on Indian carriers using its airspace, forcing longer flight paths and increasing fuel consumption. Pakistan barred Indian airlines from its airspace last year amid heightened mili- tary tensions between the two neighbor- ing countries. As part of the temporary changes, Air India said it will suspend flights on the Delhi-Chicago and Mumbai-NewYork routes. In Europe, the airline will reduce frequencies on services from Delhi to Paris, Milan and Rome. In Asia, flights between Delhi and Shanghai have also been suspended. The announcement comes weeks after Air India CEO Campbell Wilson resigned in April amid continued losses and regula- tory scrutiny. Reuters reported earlier this month that Singapore Airlines executive Vinod Kannan and Air India commercial chief Nipun Aggarwal are among the lead- ing candidates to succeed him. - Reuters By a StaffWriter Founder Of Punjabi Devils Motorcycle Club Sentenced To More Than 5 Years In Federal Prison Air India Cuts International Flights Amid Middle East Conflict PHOTO:REUTERS/DADO RUVIC/ILLUSTRATION Medicines are seen in this illustration taken, June 27, 2024. PHOTO:REUTERS/DADO RUVIC/ILLUSTRATION Medicines are seen in this illustration taken, June 27, 2024.