Noida: ₹2.49-cr worth of drugs seized; one held

A joint team of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the Delhi Police crime branch and the Gautam Budh Nagar drugs department seized pharmaceutical products worth nearly ₹2

A joint team of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the Delhi Police crime branch and the Gautam Budh Nagar drugs department seized pharmaceutical products worth nearly ₹2.49 crore from a flat in Sector 76, Noida, and arrested one person for allegedly storing the medicines illegally, officials said on Thursday.

Officials said the flat was allegedly being used to store large quantities of pharmaceutical products without authorisation. (HT Photo)

The raid was carried out at flat J-402 in Amrapali Princely Estate on Wednesday following intelligence shared by the interstate cell of the Delhi Police crime branch in Chanakyapuri and directions issued by the deputy drugs controller (India), North Zone, Ghaziabad.

Officials said the flat was allegedly being used to store large quantities of pharmaceutical products without authorisation. The man was arrested, while further investigation is underway.

“The premises was being used for unauthorised storage of pharmaceutical products in large quantities. Medicines worth ₹24, 866,658.31, calculated on the basis of their maximum retail price (MRP), were seized during the operation,” said Jai Singh, drug inspector, Gautam Budh Nagar.

The seized stock included tablets, capsules, injections, vaccines, human albumin, immunoglobulin, anti-rabies vaccines, snake anti-venom and other high-value biological products.

Officials said several medicines were labelled “Government Supply -- Not for Sale”, indicating they were not meant for commercial sale. Investigators are examining how the medicines came to be stored at the premises, whether they were diverted from government supply chains and if any provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act were violated.

“Several medicines requiring storage at temperatures between 2°C and 8°C were found kept at room temperature, contrary to prescribed storage conditions. Such improper storage can affect the quality of temperature-sensitive medicines,” Singh said.

Drug inspectors collected samples of eight pharmaceutical products for testing and analysis. Officials said samples of imported medicines will be drawn separately by the CDSCO’s north zone office in Ghaziabad in accordance with directions issued by senior authorities.

The seized medicines have been taken into custody and further investigation is underway to ascertain their source, the legality of their possession and whether they were intended for illegal distribution.