NCB busts psychotropic medicines racket; seizes over 7L tablets, injections
New Delhi: Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Sunday said that they have busted an interstate network of psychotropic medicine traffickers with the seizure of over 7 lakh tablets and more than 1,400 vials of injection and bottles of cough syrup. According to NCB, operations at Punjab, Delhi and UP led to three arrests. Investigators said that the role of pharma companies, dealers and retailers is under the scanner.
NCB Delhi zonal director K P S Malhotra said that the consignor of Agra, the consignee of Punjab and one more person from Agra have been arrested. Total 7,24,840 tablets and capsules, 1,400 injections and 80 CBCS (codeine-based cough syrup) bottles have been seized.
"On January 10, reliable input was received that few persons involved in the illicit trade of psychotropic medicines are getting the same delivered through DTDC couriers. On this information, a parcel containing 50,000 tablets of Tramadol was intercepted at Delhi," said Malhotra.
After verification of the content of the parcel, a team raided Ludhiana, where the said consignment was destined for. The consignor of the courier was traced at Agra. The receiver of the parcel was found to be one Manoj Kumar, native of Punjab and as per his interrogation, he confessed that he regularly received such parcels from one Gaurav who was apprehended from Agra and on his instance, one more person of the network identified as Mohit was nabbed.
Manoj disclosed that he used to run chemist shop at Ludhiana but did not not have the licence to trade NRX (Narcotics) and psychotropic medicines. The huge margins in the illicit retail, wholesale of psychotropic medicines were the main reason for Manoj to enter into this activity.
He used to further supply these medicines in various parts of Punjab. The seized psychotropic medicines are produced in companies having a valid license, so the analysis of diversion from the manufacturing/logistic channel is under investigation.
As per Dr Lall, AIIMS Professor, the seized drug is of schedule H/H1/X drugs, which needs a medical prescription to procure from the pharmacist. Seized drugs are narco drugs used for anti-anxiety, sedatives, pain killers, which are both habit-forming and dependence creation. The seized drugs are used in both post-operative cares and drug de-addiction centres. The effect of these drugs on the receptors of the brain is similar to heroin/opioid-based narcotics and are administered to control the withdrawal symptoms in such patients in drug- deaddiction centres.
