Two brothers from India have been sentenced to 30 months in prison by a U.S. District Court in Seattle for selling counterfeit and adulterated drugs in the United States. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced the sentencing of Avanish Kumar Jha, 39, and Rajnish Kumar Jha, 36. The brothers were arrested in Singapore on April 20, 2023, following a 2022 indictment and were extradited to the U.S. in February 2025.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez stated, “The issue here is the introduction of adulterated drugs to people who think they are getting lifesaving drugs… This activity has so much risk to cause harm.”
The investigation into the Jha brothers began in 2019 when authorities discovered that their company, Dhrishti Pharma International, was selling prescription drugs online to buyers in the United States and other countries. Undercover agents from the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) and ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) communicated with the brothers and ordered some products labeled as “Keytruda,” a Merck drug for late-stage cancer. However, analysis showed that these products contained no active ingredients necessary for effectiveness.
In January 2025, a Singaporean judge ruled that the men could be extradited to the U.S., where they later pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling.
Assistant United States Attorney Philip Kopczynski commented on their actions: “Exporting counterfeit medicines is a cruel business that robs ill people of any hope for relief.” Special Agent Robert Iwanicki emphasized that such conduct “cannot be tolerated,” while Colin Jackson highlighted collaboration between law enforcement agencies targeting international criminal organizations.
Judge Martinez imposed additional fines on each defendant and will consider further restitution to Merck next month. He stressed sending a deterrence message against such crimes.
The case involved cooperation between various law enforcement agencies including those at the U.S Embassy in Singapore and local authorities there.
