NCB seizes psychotropic substances worth ₹2.20 cr

Two alleged drug peddlers from whom a large chunk of narcotic substances were seized have been arrested, NCB officials said

MUMBAI: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has seized narcotic and psychotropic substances including opioid-based medicines and charas worth ₹2.20 crore, in two separate intelligence-led operations against alleged inter-state drug trafficking networks. Two alleged drug peddlers from whom a large chunk of narcotic substances were seized have been arrested, sources in the NCB told Hindustan Times.

NCB seizes psychotropic substances worth ₹2.20 cr

In the first case, the NCB’s Mumbai zonal unit on Saturday seized 1,080 bottles of Codeine-based cough syrup (CBCS) from an alleged peddler identified as ‘NS’, who was placed under arrest. During interrogation, the accused revealed that the bottles had been brought from Gujarat to the city on a passenger train and they were meant to be sold in retail stores across Mumbai, Bhiwandi and adjoining areas.

Based on information provided by the accused, an NCB team raided the godown of a Vadodara-based alleged CBCS distributor and seized another 13,398 CBCS bottles and 12,240 tablets of Tramadol, with the total value of the seizure estimated at ₹2 crore.

NCB officials said that while Tramadol and CBCS are strictly prescription-based opioid medicines, non-prescription use of the drugs could be fatal, and lead to severe withdrawal symptoms. Both affect the Central Nervous System (CNS) and their unregulated use or overdose could lead to severe respiratory problems, shallow breathing, rapid heart rate and liver and kidney damage with fatal consequences, officials said.

During investigation, the NCB learnt that ‘NS’, who primarily operated from Bhiwandi in Thane district, had been arrested by the Maharashtra police earlier in a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The Vadodara-based distributor, from whose premises the NCB seized CBCS bottles and Tramadol tablets, was a wanted accused in the NDPS case, NCB officials said.

In the second intelligence-led operation, the NCBs’ Mumbai unit on Wednesday seized 1.06 kilogram of charas from the Ghatkopar residence of a suspect identified as ‘AS’. The seized charas, worth ₹20 lakh, was allegedly found concealed among household articles.

Charas is a concentrated resin obtained from Cannabis plants, and its prolonged consumption could impair cognitive and reflex development with deleterious impact on memory, officials said.

During interrogation, ‘AS’ revealed that the influx of charas into the city had been curbed to a large extent due to strict anti-drug enforcement measures. Keeping the upcoming festive season in mind, NS and her associates had procured the charas for sale across the city, she told investigators. The NCB is now trying to trace and apprehend her associates, sources said.

“The two cases underscore the NCB’s sustained efforts in dismantling organised drug syndicates and targeting habitual offenders who continue to fuel the narcotics ecosystem,” an NCB official said.