UP sets up SIT to probe widespread codeine syrup smuggling racket
In a bold move to combat the rising threat of narcotics abuse and cough syrup, the Uttar Pradesh government has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to dismantle the growing illegal trade of codeine-based cough syrups and other narcotic medicines. This decision follows a series of large-scale seizures and a string of arrests made across multiple districts in the state.
Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad and Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna stressed that the illicit trade of these drugs appears to be linked to both inter-state and international networks.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, DGP Krishna said the government’s priority is to intensify its anti-drug campaign.
“Joint teams of the police, STF, and FSDA have recently unearthed major irregularities in the supply chain, diversion, and black marketing of codeine-based syrups,” he said.
During a special operation, he said, the UP STF arrested nine key accused -- Dharmendra Kumar Vishwakarma, Pawan Gupta, Lekhpal Anand, Vishal Rana, Vishal Singh, Jitendra Kumar, Sajeev Kumar, Amit Kumar Singh, and Amit Tat -- and recovered large quantities of illegal stock and forged documents.
In the Lucknow zone, 11 cases were registered, and the accused Rupesh Rai and Pawan Rastogi were arrested. In Bareilly zone, 4 cases were registered, and two persons -- Atul Kumar and Rakesh Rastogi -- were arrested, IANS reported.
In Gorakhpur zone, 10 cases were registered, and three persons -- Neeraj Dixit, Ali Sher Mehrab, and Mohammad Aftab – were arrested. In the Varanasi zone, 2 cases were registered and four persons -- Atri Ram, Vishal Jaiswal, Babar Ahmed, and Azad Singh -- were apprehended.
DGP Krishna said Sonbhadra police seized 1,19,675 bottles of codeine syrup from two trucks and arrested three smugglers -- Hemlata Pal, Brajmohan Shivhare, and Ramgopal Dhakad. Another 13,400 bottles brought from Ranchi, Jharkhand, were also seized.
In a joint operation by Ghaziabad and Sonbhadra police, 1,57,350 bottles were recovered, and eight more accused -- Sohan Tyagi, Shadab, Shekhar alias Bem, Salim Khiri, Anas Malik, Jitendra Singh, Deepak Kumar, and Sushil Yadav -- were arrested, the DGP said.
DGP Krishna said preliminary investigations suggest the illegal flow of these drugs may be through Nepal and Bangladesh into Uttar Pradesh.
Documents recovered indicate that several medical stores, distributors, and wholesalers were involved in purchasing and selling codeine syrups using fake prescriptions and falsified records.
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh, Dr Roshan Jacob, clarified that no deaths due to codeine-based syrups have been reported in UP so far. She said swift action is being taken against illegal storage, sale without permits, and distribution based on forged prescriptions.
Officials said so far, 279 accused have been identified, 128 cases have been registered across 28 districts under various sections of the BNS, NDPS Act, and Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Apart from that, several drug licences have been either suspended or cancelled.
