The Crime Branch arrested three men and busted a drug cartel which supplied cough syrup 'Phensydyl' (Codeine) illegally in dry States of North-Eastern India as well as Bangladesh, officials said on Wennesday.
With the arrest of Ajay Kumar (49), the mastermind of the drug cartel and his two associates, Fantoosh Yadav (35) and Mukesh (38), sleuths of the Crime Branch have recovered a consignment of 10,600 bottles of cough syrup which were meant to be supplied from Delhi to Malda, West Bengal, hidden in a container among electronic items.
Bhisham Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime (Cyber and FICN), said, "The Inter-border Gangs Investigation Squad received a tip off that members of an international illegal drug syndicate would come to Maa-Anandmai Marg in Okhla with consignment of illegal 'Codeine Syrup' in a container.
The senior officer said, "A team under ACP Jasbir Singh laid a trap and apprehended three men. Initially, Ajay tried to mislead the police team and produced some documents related to transportation of electronic items and stated that the container was loaded with the electronic items mentioned in the documents.
However, on checking the container, 53 parcels containing 200 bottles each, totaled 10,600 bottles, were recovered from the container, which were hidden behind the boxes of electronic items."
During sustained interrogation, Ajay revealed that he used to procure Phensedyl syrup from Delhi, Ghaziabad and Agra at large scale and used to stock the same at Okhla. In the present case he had procured the bottles from one Kailash Gupta of Kailash Medicos in Model Town. He used to supply the consignment to his customer in Kolkata and Malda, West Bengal, after hiding it among other goods being transported from Delhi in connivance with transporters and his associate Mukesh.
In the present case the goods were being transported through container of Sharma Transport, Faridabad. The consignment was to be received by one Sharif for further distribution in North- Eastern states of India, and Bangladesh," said Singh.
Talking about the cough syrup, the officer said it is a narcotic drug and contains chlorphenirmine maleate which leads to sedation
Empty bottles of codeine phosphate cough syrups of different brands are often found in public and touristy places in North-Eastern states. Since, liquor is banned in some north-eastern states of India as well as in Bangladesh, the Phensedyl become a popular alternative for alcohol.
On an average, 100ml bottle costs Rs 127. But the same quantity fetches as much as 800-900 rupees in Bangladesh and several northeastern states of India. One of the accused, Fantoosh works as a driver. He is proficient in maneuvering the illegal shipment through secret routes, while Mukesh prepared parcels of the consignment while concealing the contents, which can easily be camouflaged among the other articles being transported. Police added that they are making efforts to nab the sources and receivers of the illegal drug consignment.