DRI Seizes Over 1.11 Lakh Codeine Cough Syrup Bottles in Tripura, West Bengal; One Arrested
According to the DRI, the seizures underscore continued attempts by traffickers to misuse legitimate pharmaceutical products for illegal drug trade by employing innovative concealment methods.
Codeine-based cough syrups are frequently abused for their narcotic effects, making them a common target for organised smuggling networks.
New Delhi: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized more than 1.11 lakh bottles of Codeine-based cough syrup in two intelligence-led operations conducted in Tripura and West Bengal, dealing a major blow to narcotics trafficking networks involved in the illegal diversion of pharmaceutical drugs.
The seizures, made under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, also led to the arrest of one person who had allegedly arrived to collect one of the consignments.
In the first operation, carried out on July 2, DRI officers intercepted a consignment being transported in the parcel van of a train bound for Agartala. The contraband had been ingeniously concealed inside 80 metallic drums, hidden beneath a layer of powdery substance used as cover cargo.
A total of 55,626 bottles of Codeine-based cough syrup were recovered during the operation, which was conducted with the assistance of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Assam Rifles. One individual who had arrived to take delivery of the consignment was arrested.
In a separate operation around the same period, DRI officers searched a warehouse at Dankuni in West Bengal, where they recovered 56,225 bottles of Codeine-based cough syrup concealed inside 104 sealed iron drums.
The bottles had been hidden beneath a layer of china clay powder in an attempt to evade detection during transportation. The entire consignment was seized under the provisions of the NDPS Act.
Together, the two operations resulted in the seizure of approximately 1.11 lakh bottles of Codeine-based cough syrup, highlighting the growing use of sophisticated concealment techniques by organised drug trafficking syndicates.
Codeine, an opioid derived from opium, is legally used in regulated pharmaceutical formulations to treat cough and pain. However, when diverted for illicit consumption, Codeine-based cough syrups are frequently abused for their narcotic effects, making them a common target for organised smuggling networks.
According to the DRI, the seizures underscore continued attempts by traffickers to misuse legitimate pharmaceutical products for illegal drug trade by employing innovative concealment methods.
The agency said it remains committed to dismantling organised narcotics supply chains through intelligence-driven operations and close coordination with law enforcement agencies to curb the diversion of controlled pharmaceutical substances into illicit markets.
