Taking a serious note of the sale of drugs without prescription, the police have arrested a pharmacist for selling drugs that were allegedly intoxicating.
On a tip-off, the Surathkal police arrested Adwin Monterio, the owner of Ave Maria Medical shop, for allegedly selling four bottles of cough syrup to two youths on January 16.
The police found that Mohammed Shahid (23) and Mohammed Nizamuddin (21) had reportedly purchased four bottles of syrup from the shop.
Shahid, the police said, had consumed one bottle of syrup “to get a kick”.
Nizamuddin intended to consume two bottles of syrup, the police added.
The police said that Adwin Monterio had been booked under Section 328 of the Indian Penal Code (Administering stupefying or intoxicating drugs with a intent to cause hurt).
Shahid and Nizamuddin had been given a medical examination.
“We had to come down hard on the sale of these drugs that has been a cause of concern. This is a message to pharmacists to abide by law and issue these drugs only against prescription,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) N. Vishnuvardhan.
Further action by the police will be in coordination with the Departments of Health and Family Welfare and Drugs Control.
Meeting
The Drugs Control Department called a meeting of all pharmacists in Surathkal and the neighbouring areas on Monday and emphasised the need to sell such drugs only under prescription.
Assistant Drugs Controller K.V. Nagaraj said that pharmacists were concerned that those addicted to such drugs would threaten them and also damage shops if the drugs were not sold.
The pharmacists also said that prescriptions were being generated to get such drugs. Mr. Nagaraj said pharmacists have been asked to bring such cases to the notice of police.
Mr. Nagaraj said the department had been keeping a close watch on the sale of intoxicating drugs across the 450 medical shops in the district.
The Surathkal police have arrested one pharmacist
