Biden nominee Gupta to sell stake in company linked to chemical used by drug cartels in heroin

Vanita Gupta, President Joe Biden’s nominee for associate attorney general, plans to sell as much as $55 million of stock in a company that's been linked to the sale of a chemical used by drug cartels in the mass production of heroin.

Gupta revealed the plans when responding to questions Thursday from Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, about Avantor Inc. Gupta's father, Raj Gupta, is the chairman of the company.

Bloomberg reports that Avantor stopped selling acetic anhydride in Latin America after the news outlet published an article on Gupta's ties to the company. 

Gupta's financial disclosure shows an $11 million to $55 million stake in the company due to her family's involvement with the business.

"As a shareholder with no role in Avantor, I am not able to say whether and how much I have profited from the various parts of Avantor’s business," she wrote in the responses.

She agreed to divest in the company if she is confirmed.