Prescription drugs, a cheaper way to get high, a big draw on black market

In June, a chemist from Bandra reached his store earlier than usual and found a parcel containing bottles of cough syrup

In June, a chemist from Bandra reached his store earlier than usual and found a parcel containing bottles of cough syrup. The package, sent by a drug manufacturing company in Varanasi, was addressed to him though he had not placed any such order.

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Before he could figure out what was happening, two youngsters approached him and claimed that it was in fact their parcel which had mistakenly been delivered to him. The chemist, however, refused to hand it over to them.

As the medicines fall under ‘habit forming’ or addictive drugs category, he reported the incident to the Kherwadi police and also informed the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

This is the latest incident in what is called the supply-chain pilferage of prescription drugs.

Criminals order such medicines in the name of chemists and later sell them on the black market to those who cannot afford synthetic drugs like cocaine, heroin, mephedrone, or even street smack but want their daily fix somehow. While the legitimate use of these drugs is for medicinal purposes, if taken in quantities beyond the prescribed dose, these can lead to an effect similar to those of narcotics, providing a high to the consumer.

A few months ago, an employee with a medical store in Buldhana had made a similar unauthorised purchase from Indore in his employer’s name. After the authorities were notified, the offender went into hiding for a couple of weeks before being caught in Jalna.

Last year, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Mumbai police crime branch seized 22,798 bottles of cough syrup and 12,500 tablets of various brands.

Chemists say these consignments usually come from the northern states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Delhi and the modus operandi is to ensure that the order is delivered when the shop is closed. The buyers then pose as representatives or employees of the medical store and receive the delivery.

Anil Navandar, general secretary of Maharashtra State Chemists and Druggists Association, said most cases are reported in bigger cities like Mumbai. “The bigger consignments are usually sent through transporters while the smaller orders are dispatched through couriers. We can work with the FDA and other authorities to control this menace.”

The association has already alerted its members, and plans to issue a similar advisory for transporters and courier services.

Nitin Maniar, secretary of Retail and Dispensing Chemists Association of Mumbai, said there have been instances of psychotropic drugs being sold on the roadside in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. “We can’t sell such medicines without prescriptions. There’s very strict record keeping for them as well. When chemists report these anti-social elements to the police, they always manage to run away.”

He said that this is rampant in areas like Malvani, Govandi, Cheetah camp, Baiganwadi and Sangam Nagar in Wadala, something that the Mumbai ANC, too, confirmed.

“A bottle of cough syrup can be illegally bought for ₹200 while a strip of tablets comes for ₹50 each. Prescription drugs, also known as schedule H drugs, are the drugs of choice for low-income groups as they are available cheaper than cocaine or mephedrone. We are aware that the drugs are pilfered from the supply chain and then sold on the black market. We have been seizing thousands of bottles and strips of illegally peddled drugs every year,” deputy commissioner of police (ANC) Datta Nalawade said.

He added that the issue is raised at every inter-agency coordination meeting with stakeholders like the FDA.

D R Gahane, joint commissioner, FDA Maharashtra, called the Bandra incident uncommon but declined to go into the details about the action taken in this regard.