Weeks after US authorities indicted eWorldTrade for its alleged involvement in fentanyl trafficking and other fraudulent activities, further revelations have raised serious questions about the scale and sophistication of the operation. It has come to light that the Karachi-based digital networks have been defrauding foreign clients, misusing visa systems, and listing banned substances online. Investigative blogger Danny de Hek has published details tracing the ecosystem behind firms like eWorldTrade, Abtach, Intersys and Digitonics Labs, many of which operate openly in Pakistan while quietly expanding into the US.
From Karachi to Dallas – unravelling the Bilwani network
Azneem Bilwani’s name had already surfaced as the man behind eWorldTrade. Recent disclosures suggest he is linked to several other companies. Bilwani also owns InterMarket Securities, one of Pakistan’s largest stock brokerages listed on the national exchange. In any other country, such dual roles, one in capital markets and another in a company under US federal indictment, would raise serious concerns. However, in Pakistan, media coverage remains notably absent.
Bilwani-linked entities in Dallas, Texas, including Retrocube and Intersys, continue to operate under names commonly associated with digital services, as claimed by de Hek. However, now these companies have found themselves listed in lawsuits alleging fraud, breach of contract, and deceptive trade practices.
Drug listings, duplicate brands and ghost corporations
The original Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment centred on fentanyl analogues like isotonitazene and carfentanyl. Further scrutiny has landed on ExportHub.com and TradeKey.com, which allegedly featured listings for similar substances. These platforms are linked to Junaid Mansoor and Burhan Mirza. Their firm Digitonics Labs was previously investigated by FIA for defrauding customers including that of US Patent and Trademark Office for impersonating officials and defrauding trademark applicants.
De Hek flagged the continued presence of dozens of shell companies, from ghostwriting firms to fake design studios, all tied back to Karachi addresses but operating through US-based bank accounts and Stripe gateways.
A tangled visa web, but no official word on escalation
The most concerning link that has emerged is in the form of a Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) indictment filed in May this year, which has charged two Pakistani-origin residents in Texas, 39-year-old Abdul Hadi Murshid and 35-year-old Muhammad Salman Nasir, with orchestrating a visa fraud scheme involving fake job ads and manipulated payrolls. One of the individuals now appearing in court on behalf of eWorldTrade, Abdul Aziz Sema, is believed to have entered the US through similar means.
Major arrests out of @FBIDallas.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) May 24, 2025
Abdul Hadi Murshid and Muhammad Salman Nasir — two individuals out of Texas who allegedly oversaw and operated a criminal enterprise circumventing American immigration laws by selling fraudulent visa applications.
Well done to our FBI teams and… https://t.co/w7BGcbD5BY
It remains uncertain if this overlap leads to broader action. There is no official confirmation yet of a coordinated move by the DOJ to expand charges against the wider Karachi network, though de Hek claimed prosecutors have requested time for a superseding indictment.
The whistleblower claims from Pakistan
New Zealand-based journalist Danny de Hek published a series of blogs which, while short of hard evidence, present a dense map of names, front companies, scam websites, and alleged money mules, all linking back to Karachi’s software house ecosystem. He claimed to have been contacted by dozens of insiders and victims, many of whom have detailed psychological blackmail, identity theft, and financial ruin.
De Hek also claimed that the fraudulent ecosystem could be masking billions of dollars in unreported revenue, funnelling payments through bank accounts in the US, UK and Gulf countries, all while hiding behind IT export success stories.
He has raised concerns that a significant portion of Pakistan’s reported $3.2 billion in IT exports could, in fact, be inflated by the revenues of scam software houses masquerading as legitimate businesses.
Pakistan’s silence and the global fallout
Despite blacklisting by US trademark authorities and mounting lawsuits abroad, Pakistani regulators and law enforcement agencies have not made any formal announcements regarding Bilwani, Digitonics, or the score of firms named in de Hek’s exposés. Some industry insiders claim that local officials are quietly watching developments in the US before taking any position.
It is, however, clear that this is not a localised scam problem. Allegations now range from low-cost ghostwriting scams to drug listings and systemic visa manipulation. Whether the US government builds further cases is yet to be seen, however, the dots are already being connected by independent researchers like de Hek.
Until any formal action is taken, the alleged fraud machine behind these companies continues to operate, largely in the open, expanding its list of victims.
Who is Danny de Hek?
Danny de Hek, also known as The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger, is a New Zealand-based investigative journalist known for exposing crypto frauds, Ponzi schemes, and multi-level marketing scams. His work has been featured by global outlets including Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Guardian Australia, and ABC News Australia.
