Amid several cases of gold smuggling by air passengers having been reported, attempts to smuggle prescription drugs containing psychotropic substances through Tiruchi international airport has surfaced now.
The recent seizure of huge quantities of Alprazolam and Zolpidem tablets besides a few bottles containing Codine syrup from a woman air passenger at Tiruchi airport by officials of the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) a few days ago has brought to light the latest case of smuggling of prescription drugs.
Acting on intelligence inputs, a team from CBN, Chennai landed at Tiruchi airport and held Manjula Arasupillai in her mid-50s from whom they seized 8,000 tablets of Alprazolam and 4,000 tablets of Zolpidem besides 20 bottles of Codin Phosphate cough syrup.
The woman, a native of Thanjavur, had cleared immigration formalities and was to board a Malindo Air flight to Kuala Lumpur in the early hours on Monday when the CBN sleuths arrested her on the charge of attempting to smuggle the contraband in her possession.
A search conducted at the house of Manjula, a frequent traveller, thereafter at Thanjavur however yielded nothing. The woman was a “carrier” to whom the consignment was given to be handed over in Malaysia where the seized prescription drugs were in demand, said CBN sources.
This is the first time that prescription drugs containing psychotropic substances have been seized in an international airport in South India, said CBN authorities. The woman was put behind bars and a case booked against her under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
Days later, the Air Intelligence Unit of Customs arrested U. Ashraf Ali of Madhukur in Thanjavur district at Tiruchi airport on the charge of attempting to smuggle 58 bottles of Codine phosphate syrup to Malaysia for abuse.
Two cases
Although enforcement agencies acted swiftly in both instances, the two cases in quick succession is an indication of attempts to smuggle prescription drugs containing psychotropic substances through air mode.
Easily available across the country, the two prescription drugs are in great demand in Malaysia and Australia as they were said to be widely abused there, say CBN authorities.
The manufacturing cost of these legal drugs prescribed mostly for insomnia patients was cheaper in India than in other countries prompting smugglers to illegally sneak them out from India to countries where they were in great demand.
The sources said in some cases the prescription drugs were used as party drugs and was mixed in alcohol to give a high. Drugs containing narcotics and psychotropic substances without prescription constitute an abuse. Overdose, even with prescription, is also an abuse, says sources.
The collection is said to be done from various pharmacies and smuggled out mainly through the golden triangle - Myanmar, Lao and Thailand - because the money involved is huge in this shady business, the sources further said.
The prescription drugs smuggled into the other country are sold at a higher price by the smuggling network. In Western countries there is strict enforcement with respect to drug dispensation. The greed for money coupled with well-oiled smuggling network has made this shady business thrive, the sources add.
The sources believe that an international network could be behind the recent incident at Tiruchi airport. The woman was only a “carrier” assigned with the task of taking the consignment to Malaysia, they say.
A senior official said there was some procedure to be adhered to by air passengers while carrying prescription drugs containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The passengers have to get an export authorisation from the Narcotics Commissioner of India before air travel.
There is no exemption for small quantities.
Export authorisation could also be obtained online from the office of the Narcotics Commissioner of India situated at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, the official said.
