High crimes: Opioid-based drug worth crores seized, 3 arrested in Delhi

NEW DELHI: In a major drug haul, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized a consignment of a staggering 7,24,840 tablets and 1,400 injections of opioid-based analgesic Tramadol worth crores of rupees. Three traffickers, including a wholesale medicine trader and a chemist, have been arrested till now.
The module operated across north India and is suspected to be part of a bigger international syndicate trying to push the drug — which is getting extremely popular among teenagers — to school and college students in Delhi.

While raids are on in Delhi, UP and Punjab and more arrests are likely, NCB is trying to reach to the source and kingpin of this syndicate. The arrested men — Manoj Kumar, Mohit and Gaurav Aggarwal — are natives of Agra. They were nabbed by a special team led by NCB zonal director KPS Malhotra.
A few days ago, NCB had received inputs that a few people involved in the illicit trade of psychotropic drugs were getting delivery at a courier firm’s office.
Teams comprising additional director Kuldeep Sharma conducted a raid and seized a parcel containing 50,000 Tramadol tablets. Another raid was carried out in Ludhiana, where the parcel was supposed to be shipped, and the receiver, Kumar, was arrested. Kumar, who runs a medicine shop, revealed that the parcel was sent by Aggarwal, who was subsequently apprehended. Mohit, the wholesale dealer, was arrested later and the entire consignment seized.
“Kumar didn’t have a licence to trade narcotics and psychotropic medicines. He committed the crime owing to the huge profit margins in the illicit retail and wholesale trade of psychotropic medicines. He used to supply these medicines to various parts of the country,” Malhotra said.
The drugs were diverted from lawful channels into the trafficking network, Malhotra said, adding, “The seized psychotropic medicines were produced by companies having a valid licence. We are trying to analyse the diversion from the manufacturing/logistics channel. The role of pharmaceutical companies, dealers and retailers is being investigated.”
AIIMS professor Dr Lall said the seized drug is of schedule H/H1/X, which needs a doctor’s prescription to procure from a pharmacist. “The seized drugs are anti-anxiety, sedatives and painkillers, which are both habit forming and create dependence. They are used in both post-operative care and drug deaddiction centres. The effect of these drugs on the brain is similar to heroin/opioid-based narcotics and are administered to control withdrawal symptoms in patients at drug deaddiction centres,” he added.
Tramadol is used in the treatment of moderate to severe pain, but misused by teenagers for mood enhancement and euphoria. WHO says the drug can produce physical dependence when used daily for more than a few weeks.