As IMF sanctions loan and Trump promises trade with Pakistan, court documents expose Pakistani network behind fentanyl trafficking and global scams
Amidst the ongoing India-Pakistan tensions, the latter managed to secure a vital financial lifeline from the International Monetary Fund in the form of $1 billion. India, an IMF member, objected to the loan and abstained from the voting. Within days, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, also announced that the US will increase trade with Pakistan.
Trump’s statement came alongside a “congratulating” message to India and Pakistan for agreeing to a ceasefire. He said the US will increase trade with both India and Pakistan. Interestingly, Trump had previously called out Pakistan for giving shelter to 9/11 terrorist attack mastermind Osama Bin Laden for six years and not informing the US about his whereabouts. Meanwhile, Pakistan continued to receive monetary aid from the US, which totalled around $33 billion over 15 years.
Despite Pakistan’s history, both the IMF and the US ensured the rogue nation has enough money to fund its terrorists. It is a well-known fact that Pakistan funds terrorist organisations and it is safe to believe that a large chunk of the financial aid it gets goes to the terror outfits to wage war against India.
DOJ exposes Pakistan-linked criminal network behind smuggling of narcotics and running scams
On 5th May, Krebson Security reported that the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) exposed a complex network of Pakistan-linked companies that are accused of shipping dangerous synthetic opioids and running global online fraud operations.
The revelations are linked to a Dallas-based company called eWorldTrade. According to an unsealed indictment, the company facilitated the distribution of synthetic opioids including isotonitazene and carfentanyl, both considered exponentially more potent than fentanyl. These drugs are directly responsible for countless overdose deaths across America. According to CDC, between January and June 2023, there were 238 cases of overdose deaths with carafentanyl across 37 states.
Karachi-based director and notorious firm linked to eWorldTrade
According to court documents, the eWorldTrade trademark was registered to Azneem Bilwani, who is based in Karachi, Pakistan. He also serves as the director of Abtach Ltd, which is a Pakistani IT and marketing firm. The company was previously flagged by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and Google for its alleged involvement in large-scale trademark registration scams.
The USPTO accused Abtach in 2021 of systematically defrauding applicants by overcharging filing fees, altering official documents and impersonating the US agency. The US authorities banned Abtach after the nexus was exposed. Soon after, Abtach rebranded itself as Intersys Limited. The Karachi address, however, was not changed.
The Axact connection – Karachi at the centre of global fraud
Further investigation revealed that there was a strong link between Abtach and disgraced Pakistani company Axact. In 2015, Axact was globally exposed for selling fake academic degrees and running blackmail-based extortion schemes. Dozens of Axact officials were initially arrested and convicted by a Pakistani court. However, reports revealed none of the convicts served their sentences. Many of them reportedly resumed similar fraudulent activities under Abtach and other fronts.
The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers documented that in 2016, a Pakistani judge who acquitted Axact officials later confessed to accepting a bribe from the company.
Pakistan’s FIA names key players and largest money laundering case
In 2021, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) charged Bilwani and around 50 others, most of them linked to Abtach, in one of the biggest money laundering scams in Pakistan’s history. The FIA alleged that Karachi-based Digitonics Labs, run by Junaid Mansoor, generated around $2.5 million per month through extortion and the sale of fraudulent USPTO certificates. The company was also charged with fabricating trademarks.
According to the FIA, countless scams involving ebook publishing, mobile app development, phishing websites and logo creation subjected clients to advance-fee fraud and threats of public exposure to extract additional payments.
Mansoor’s brother Qasim Mansoor was also named in the FIA investigation. The alleged network of Pakistani companies reportedly operated dozens of front websites targeting global victims.
Texas footprint reveals Pakistani expansion into US operations
US court documents and independent investigations by cybersecurity researchers traced the same Pakistani actors expanding their operations into Texas. Multiple entities, including Retrocube LLC, 360 Digital Marketing LLC, Majestic Ghostwriting and Intersys Limited, were all found operating from a shared address at 1910 Pacific Avenue, Dallas.
Several individuals linked to Axact and Abtach, including Muhammad Burhan Mirza and Muhammad Salman Yousuf, were involved in these operations. These companies were named in multiple lawsuits alleging fraud, breach of contract and deceptive business practices, including fraudulent ghostwriting services, academic cheating services and upselling schemes designed to defraud American consumers.
Exporthub links to fentanyl supply listings
Separate to the eWorldTrade charges, investigators also flagged that Karachi-based website exporthub.com, operated by entities connected to the same circle, had live listings for fentanyl citrate from suppliers based in China and other countries.
Growing concern over US’s stance on Pakistan
Not only has Trump promised trade with Pakistan, he also stated he would find ways to mediate between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, which he called a 1,000-year-old conflict. Pakistan was created in 1947, less than 100 years ago.
The Pakistan-linked network involved in the smuggling of deadly synthetic opioids such as isotonitazene, carfentanyl and fentanyl citrate has once again underlined the rogue nation’s dangerous double game. While Islamabad continues to receive monetary aid, entities operating from Karachi and directly linked to previously exposed fraud networks like Axact and Abtach have been accused of flooding American markets with narcotics that have killed many.
The irony of the United States pushing for ceasefire talks and trade with a country whose actors stand indicted for shipping poison to American streets has not gone unnoticed.
News