NCB unearths nexus of psychotropic medicine traffickers; seizes over 7L tablets

The NCB has unearthed an inter-state nexus of psychotropic medicine traffickers with the seizure of over 7 lakh tablets and more than 1,400 injections and bottles of cough syrup, officials said on Sunday.

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Three people have been arrested as part of the operation spanning across Agra in Uttar Pradesh and Ludhiana in Punjab, 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," he said.

"These medicines are suspected to have been diverted from lawful channels into the trafficking network," he said. The seized tablets also include Tramadol, a drug regulated under the law as it is a psychotropic substance, a senior official said. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is now probing the role of pharma companies, dealers and retailers to unearth the entire nexus, the officer said.

NCB officials said the seized drugs are of schedule H/H1/X category which require a medical prescription to procure from the pharmacist. Seized drugs are narco drugs used for anti-anxiety, as sedatives and pain killers, and lead to habit forming and dependence creation, they said.

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