The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted an inter-State racket 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, officials said on Sunday.
Three people have been arrested as part of an operation that began early this month and spanned across Agra, Ludhiana and in the national capital, NCB Delhi zonal director K.P.S. Malhotra said.
“A total of 7,24,840 tablets and capsules, 1,400 injections and 80 CBCS [codeine based cough syrup] bottles have been seized. These medicines are suspected to have diverted from lawful channels to the trafficking network,” he said.
The seizure was made from a godown in Shahganj of Agra.
The seized tablets also include over 2.87 lakh Tramadol tablets, a regulated drug as it is a psychotropic substance, another senior official said.
The Central government had brought the drug (Tramadol) under the control of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in 2018, banning it from being sold freely over the counter.
The synthetic opiate was said to be abused on a wide-scale by ISIS terrorists to suppress pain and boost strength during injury and hence known as ‘fighter drug’ among international anti-narcotics authorities.
Tramadol has to be regulated in the country as there have been instances in the past where its huge consignments were illegally routed to foreign shores for diversion to terrorist groups, the senior official said.
Under scanner
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is now probing the role of pharma companies, dealers and retailers to unearth the nexus.
“The seized psychotropic medicines are produced in companies having valid license. So the analysis of diversion from the manufacturing and logistic channel is on,” Mr. Malhotra said.
