Kolkata: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Eastern Zone has seized more than three thousand tablets of six different psychotropic substances and nabbed three persons for allegedly exporting the drugs illegally to the United States (USA) and Canada.
The Director of NCB, Eastern Zone, Dilip Srivastav, informed that the exported drugs are used as sedatives in the US and Canada. Those medicines are legal in India only with a valid prescription of a registered medical practitioner. But these tablets are not meant to be sold in the US and Canada as per their regulations.
Sources said a few days ago, the Delhi unit of NCB informed the Eastern Zone unit about one person who was nabbed in Delhi for allegedly exporting medicines illegally. During interrogation, the accused informed that the medicines used to come from Kolkata. After investigation, it was found that the courier was booked from Kolkata. The Eastern Zonal unit immediately was informed.
Upon receiving the informatio, a team was formed and investigation commenced. On September 24, the NCB team raided a flat at Maheshtala, 24-Parganas. During the raid, a person identified as Ganesh Pun was arrested and 3,161 tablets of six different psychotropic substances seized worth Rs 15 lakh. The substances identified are — Nitrazepam-10 mg, Tremadol-400 mg, Clonazepam-1mg, Lorazepam-2mg, Alprazolam-1mg, zolfresh/Zolpidem-10 mg and stilnoct/zolpidem- 12.5 mg.
Ganesh stated that he was in charge of packing and exporting the tablets
through courier.
He also told the sleuths about two more persons who head this racket in Kolkata. On the night of September 25 and 26, a group of investigators raided a medicine shop at Shyamnagar in Jagaddal area. The owner of the shop identified as Sunil Agarwal was arrested. During a search operation, several kinds of psychotropic tablets were seized.
While interrogating Agarwal, another name came to light. On the same night, a call center identified as Dream Advent Services at Poddarnagar in South City mall area was raided. Several incriminating documents were found.
Though some employees were there at that time, the owner was not present. Some of the NCB team members immediately rushed to Purbanchal in Ruby hospital area and arrested the owner identified as Clement Philips.
"Philips used to run his illicit trade from behind the cover of his call center. During daytime, his call center operated usually. Post 9 pm, the center used to receive orders from the US and Canada. After the orders were placed, the details were shared with Agarwal for procuring the tablets. After the procuring process was over, the tablets were sent to Pun for packaging and exporting through courier," said Srivastav.