Indian Opioids Fueling West African Crisis

February 24th, 2025

Lindsey Zhao

In northern Ghana, an opioid epidemic has taken over daily life. Without formal government interference, local community leader Alhassan Maham created a volunteer group to fight back against drug dealers, conducting raids to remove deadly pills from circulation.

The opioids’ origin? Aveo Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company based in Mumbai. A BBC investigation revealed this week that Aveo Pharmaceuticals has been manufacturing unlicensed (and extremely addictive) opioids, illegally exporting them to West Africa, and driving a deadly drug crisis in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote D’Ivoire. The drugs are labeled under different names, but they all contain lethal ingredients that include tapentadol, a powerful opioid, and carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant commercially known as Soma. Carisoprodol is so addictive it is banned in Europe. The combination of the two opioids produces an amplifying effect.

These two drugs have risen in popularity in the illegal drug trade during recent years. For example, during the first half of 2021, Chicago CBP agents seized 1,785 parcels with tapentadol pills and another 566 shipments with carisoprodol.

The BBC investigation revealed a shocking disregard for the health dangers posed by these opioids. An undercover operative in an Indian factory responsible for manufacturing the pills filmed one of Aveo’s directors, Vinod Sharma, admitting that the pills were “very harmful”, but that it was “just business”.

There are approximately 4.6 million opioid addicts in Nigeria, one of the largest countries in Africa. It has provided an invaluable market for Aveo, especially for vulnerable teenagers.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Aveo has exported deadly opioids to West Africa. Back in 2018, they did the same with tramadol, but after a BBC investigation, Indian authorities cracked down on exports and Nigerian authorities banned the sale of tramadol without a prescription. After these restrictions, Aveo just pivoted to tapentadol, an even stronger opioid, instead.

India has already begun taking action, with the Drug Controller General of India ordering a ban on the drugs’ production. India’s reputation as a global pharmaceutical giant is at stake; India's revenue from pharmaceutical exports was $25.3 billion in the 2022-2023 financial year. By having Aveo Pharmaceuticals and other pharma companies break Indian law by exporting illegal drug cocktails to other countries, India risks losing the trust of other countries when it comes to their commitment to international law and the safety of their products.

The investigation also revealed that Aveo Pharmaceuticals has started to smuggle these drugs, that are disguised as legitimate medicines, through Ghanaian ports instead of Nigerian ones because of strict Nigerian regulations.