Pharma Firm MD, Senior Executives Get 7-Year Jail for Pseudoephedrine Diversion
Rajkot: A Haryana-based pharmaceutical company, Alps Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd., along with three of its senior officials, has been convicted and sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for the illegal diversion of pseudoephedrine, a controlled methamphetamine precursor, to foreign destinations.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹1.5 lakh on each accused, including the company, in a case investigated by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), highlighting a serious breach of India’s drug control laws.
The case was probed by the NCB Ahmedabad Zonal Unit following specific intelligence received in March 2023 regarding diversion of pseudoephedrine under the guise of legitimate pharmaceutical exports. Acting on the inputs, the agency intercepted a container at Pipavav Port in Gujarat, which had originated from ICD Panchi in Sonipat, Haryana, and was bound for Africa. The consignment comprised around 60 lakh capsules declared as containing ephedrine/pseudoephedrine.
During scrutiny, the NCB found that the shipment included three products — ALPCIT, COLDFIT and T-DOL. While ALPCIT legitimately contained pseudoephedrine, the other two products were falsely declared as containing the controlled substance. Further investigation revealed that around 6 kg of pseudoephedrine, claimed to have been used in the manufacture of COLDFIT and T-DOL, had actually been diverted illegally.
The probe established systematic falsification of manufacturing, stock and export records, with direct involvement of senior officials of the company. The accused individuals were identified as Sumit Kumar (Managing Director), Sumit Kumar (Store In-charge) and Dhanesh Chamoli (Authorised Chief Chemist-cum-Production Manager). The company itself was also named as an accused in the case.
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The matter was registered under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and the NDPS (Regulation of Controlled Substances) Order, 2013. During the course of investigation and trial, the accused approached multiple judicial forums, including the Supreme Court of India, seeking bail, which was denied considering the gravity of the offence and the evidence on record.
According to a recent media report in The Indian Express, the judgment was delivered on January 12, 2026, by a court in Savarkundla, Amreli district of Gujarat.
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