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STF arrests key man in ₹100-crore Codeine-trafficking probe
Uttar Pradesh STF arrested Amit Tata for running a major illegal codeine cough syrup network, linked to trafficking across states and Bangladesh.
The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested Amit Kumar Singh, alias Amit Tata, a resident of Jaunpur, for allegedly operating a major illegal network dealing in codeine-based cough syrup, on Thursday. The illegal network is said to be spread across several states and neighbouring countries, confirmed senior STF officials in a release shared with the media.
Officials claim more than ₹100 crore worth of cough syrup may have been illicitly purchased using fabricated documentation, with a significant portion routed to trafficking networks.
The arrest is the latest development in the widening probe into an interstate pharmaceutical-diversion racket that investigators say supplied controlled substances to Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, West Bengal and Bangladesh.
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A senior STF official informed that Amit Tata was taken into custody near Gwari Chauraha, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow at around 7 am and recovered items included two mobile phones, an SUV, an Aadhaar card, and several documents retrieved from digital devices.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said the STF is also examining the alleged proximity of Amit Tata to a controversial eastern Uttar Pradesh politician with a history of organised-crime accusations. He said the unnamed politician, who rose from gangland networks in the 1990s to become an influential political figure, has been repeatedly mentioned in official inquiries, police dossiers and judicial proceedings over the years.
His name surfaced in several high-profile killings inside and outside prisons, drawing national attention and repeated scrutiny from law-enforcement agencies.
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“While no formal charges have been filed against him in the current codeine case, investigators say they are exploring whether individuals in his extended network may have “facilitated protection, logistics or safe-passage corridors” in the illegal trade of codeine-laced formulations, which enjoy high demand in border districts of West Bengal and Bangladesh,” he emphasised.
The arrest of Amit Tata follows the November 12 arrest from Saharanpur of Vibhor Rana and Vishal Singh, whose interrogation reportedly led officers to Tata’s alleged role. According to STF, the racket involved creation of multiple shell medical firms, procurement of large quantities of codeine-based formulations using forged purchase documents and e-way bills, diversion of stock to trafficking groups through West Bengal and northeast corridors.
The STF official stated that Tata admitted during questioning that he invested in two firms, Kripa Medical Agency (Dhanbad) and Shri Medical (Varanasi), allegedly controlled by Shubham Jaiswal, who is believed to have fled to Dubai with associates after earlier arrests disrupted the supply chain.
“During detailed interrogation, the accused stated that he was introduced to Shubham Jaiswal of Prahlad Ghat, Varanasi, through Vikas Singh, a resident of Azamgarh. Vikas Singh had told him that Shubham Jaiswal runs a large business of Abbott Company’s Phensedyl cough syrup under the name “Shaily Traders” in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
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“Codeine-based Phensedyl cough syrup is used as an intoxicant and is in high demand in West Bengal and Bangladesh. There are huge profits in smuggling it. Vikas said that if he invested some money in this business, he would earn substantial income. Tempted by this, he agreed,” the official stated.
While the STF has not publicly named the eastern UP politician being examined, officers said that several members of the codeine-diversion chain had “active criminal histories and longstanding links with muscle-men, fixers and political intermediaries” operating across Varanasi, Jaunpur, Azamgarh and Ghazipur, a belt historically associated with the strongman’s influence.
“There is no direct evidence yet,” a senior STF official said, “but multiple financial flows, old associations and movement patterns are under scrutiny.”
Investigators are also analysing whether existing networks, established originally for extortion, sand-mining control, contract allocation and jail-based intimidation, may have been repurposed to support high-profit pharmaceutical trafficking.
Police records list as many seven prior cases against Amit Tata, including charges under attempt to murder, forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy. The unfolding investigation suggests that the codeine-syrup trade may have deep penetrations into business, criminal, and possibly political networks across eastern Uttar Pradesh. Whether these intersections are incidental, opportunistic, or part of a structured alliance is likely to become clearer as financial-trail analysis, digital-forensic examinations, and cross-state interrogations progress.
