Hyderabad: The illegal sale of Codeine-based cough syrups in Hyderabad was busted on Monday, April 21. Three persons, including a woman, were arrested.
The accused were identified as Nalla Rajini, Anmol Kumar Singhal (licensee of Generic World Medical Shop, Vidyanagar), and Dinesh Kumar Goyal (licensee of Himalaya Pharma, Ghori Nagar, Old Bowenpally).
In a joint operation, the Prohibition and Excise department and the Drug Control Administration (DCA) cancelled the licenses of the two medical shops and seized 1.050 kg of dry ganja from the accused.
They were identified as Vaibhav Kulkarni and Manupati Bhanu Prakash at Ramanthapur.
During interrogation, the accused revealed information about the sale of Codeine Phosphate Syrup by a woman in the Lalapet area of Secunderabad.
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Based on a tip-off, officers intercepted a woman carrying 13 bottles of Codeine phosphate syrup on a two-wheeler, intended for delivery to an unknown person. The woman, identified as Nalla Rajini, failed to produce a valid drug license or medical prescription for the possession of the said quantity.
Upon interrogation, she confessed to procuring the drug from Generic World Medical Shop. DCA officers, along with Prohibition and Excise officers, conducted a decoy operation at the pharmacy. During this operation, the vendor sold three bottles of Codeine syrup without issuing a bill or obtaining a valid prescription.
The DCA officers inspected Generic World Medical Shop, Vidyanagar, and found 80 bottles of Codeine phosphate syrup in stock. During inspection, grave irregularities were detected, including the sale of Codeine-based Cough Syrups without the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner and failure to maintain sales records as mandated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules.
Further investigation revealed that the syrups had been procured from Himalaya Pharma at Old Bowenpally, Balanagar Mandal, Medchal-Malkajgiri District, which is operated by a relative of the licensee of Generic World Medical Shop. The DCA team, along with the Prohibition and Excise Enforcement team, raided Himalaya Pharma, Old Bowenpally, and recovered documents confirming the sale of the said syrups to Generic World Medical Shop.
Irregularities were also found in the operation of Himalaya Pharma, including the sale of Codeine-based cough syrups without prescription and failure to maintain proper sales records regarding 80 bottles of Codeine Cough Syrups, the DCA officials said.
Licenses of the aforementioned medical shops have been cancelled by the DCA, Telangana, under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
A case has been registered under Section 8(c) r/w Section 20(b) of the NDPS Act at Malkajgiri Prohibition & Excise Station.
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