The DRI seized around 1.11 lakh bottles of Codeine-based cough syrup in two separate operations in Tripura and West Bengal. The contraband was found concealed in drums. One person who arrived to take delivery of a consignment has been arrested.
In continuation of its sustained efforts to curb drug trafficking and dismantle narcotics supply networks, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized huge quantities of Codeine-based cough syrup bottles in two separate operations conducted in Tripura and West Bengal under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985.
Operation in Tripura
According to the Ministry of Finance release, on July 2, the officers of DRI intercepted a consignment being transported in the parcel van of a train bound for Agartala. The contraband was found ingeniously concealed inside 80 metallic drums beneath a layer of powdery substance used as cover cargo. A total of 55,626 bottles of Codeine-based cough syrup were recovered and seized. The operation was carried out with the assistance of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Assam Rifles. One person, who had arrived to take delivery of the consignment, was arrested, the release added.
Warehouse Raid in West Bengal
Around the same period, in another operation, DRI officers searched a warehouse at Dankuni, West Bengal, where 56,225 bottles of Codeine-based cough syrup were recovered from 104 sealed iron drums. The bottles had been concealed beneath a layer of china clay powder inside the drums to evade detection. The entire quantity was seized under the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985.
According to the release, overall, the two operations resulted in the seizure of around 1.11 lakhs of Codeine-based cough syrup bottles and the arrest of 1 person.
Targeting Illicit Drug Networks
Codeine, a derivative of opium, has legitimate therapeutic use in regulated pharmaceutical preparations. However, Codeine-based cough syrups are often targeted by drug trafficking networks owing to their abuse potential when diverted for illicit consumption, a release added.
According to the release, these seizures highlight the continued attempts by organised smuggling syndicates to divert pharmaceutical preparations containing narcotic substances for illicit trafficking through innovative concealment methods. Through coordinated intelligence-driven operations, DRI remains committed to dismantling such networks. (ANI)
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