NCB cops break four-state drug syndicate worth Rs 547 crore
NEW DELHI: In a significant push towards a drug-free India, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted a massive drug diversion network spread across four states, seizing narcotics worth Rs 547 crore and apprehending 15 people.
The four-month-long operation by the Amritsar Zonal Unit represents a major milestone under the government’s zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking.
Union Home minister Amit Shah, in a post on the social platform X, hailed the operation as a reflection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to building a drug-free Bharat.
“Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, Bharat is axing down drug cartels with ruthless aggression,” he said.
The operation, carried out in Punjab, Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, revealed a complex network of illegal production, unauthorised sale, and
diversion of pharmaceutical medicines for non-medical purposes.
The NCB recovered 1.42 crore tablets of Tramadol and Alprazolam, 2.9 kg of Tramadol powder, and more than 9 lakh bottles of codeine-based cough syrup (CBCS) with an approximate weight of 135 tonnes of illicit material.
One of the major breakthroughs was when the NCB arrested an individual in Amritsar who was impersonating a medical practitioner, and he had thousands of psychotropic tablets on him. This prompted investigators to make several follow-up arrests and searches and break a large distribution chain.
Raids in April 2025 revealed large stocks:
Himachal Pradesh: 19.25 lakh tablets from Embit Bio Medix.
Delhi: 1.17 crore tablets from Aashi Pharmaceutical in Bawana
Uttarakhand (Haridwar): 11,693 CBCS bottles and 2.9 kg of Tramadol powder from J R Pharmaceuticals.
One of the prime suspects, proprietor of Embit Bio Medix, was caught attempting to flee the country at Delhi’s IGI Airport. Investigations revealed that he had previously operated in Delhi before his license was cancelled in 2022, after which he shifted operations to Himachal Pradesh under a new firm and set up a parallel operation in Delhi under an associate’s name.
Subsequent raids in February 2025 on J R Pharmaceuticals at Haridwar resulted in the recovery of more than 2.5 lakh loose tablets and about 9 lakh CBCS bottles.
Dummy and non-existent companies were traced to be in the diversion chain, including Dehradun’s Tiwari Medical Agency, which proved to be a sweet shop/tailor.
Seizure of another 1.24 lakh Alprazolam tablets was achieved after its mastermind’s arrest from a roadside restaurant at Dehradun.
The authorities also revealed the involvement of other ghost companies like Kavati Health Care Pvt Ltd and Life Care Pharma in the illicit supply chain. Most of the seized drugs were stored or transported without proper documentation.
NCB is working in liaison with GST offices, state drug controllers, income tax officials, and banks to track the entire network.
Seizures and arrests will increase in the coming weeks as the probe goes deeper.
