Hyderabad: Excise Dept, DCA bust illegal network involved in selling Codeine syrups; woman among 3 held
Acting on this tip-off, a route watch was conducted near Moulali Bridge
By Newsmeter Network
Hyderabad: Prohibition and Excise Department and Telangana Drugs Control Administration (DCA) busted an illegal network involved in the diversion and sale of Codeine-based cough syrups in Hyderabad.
Three people were arrested during the joint operation, and the licences of two medical shops were cancelled.
The trio were identified as Nalla Rajini (Woman found in illegal possession of Codeine phosphate syrup), Anmol Kumar Singhal (Licensee of Generic World Medical Shop, Vidyanagar), and Dinesh Kumar Goyal (Licensee of Himalaya Pharma, Ghori Nagar, Old Bowenpally).
The operation was launched after Prohibition and Excise Enforcement, Ranga Reddy, recovered dry ganja weighing 1.050 kg from two individuals. They were identified as Vaibhav Kulakarni and Manupati Bhanu Prakash at Ramanthapur.
During the interrogation, the accused revealed information about the sale of Codeine Phosphate Syrup by a woman in the Lalapet area of Secunderabad.
Acting on this tip-off, a route watch was conducted near Moulali Bridge, where the 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 licence or medical prescription for the possession of the said quantity.
Upon questioning, she confessed to procuring the drug from Generic World Medical Shop, located at Vidyanagar Hyderabad. DCA officers along with Prohibition and Excise Officers conducted a decoy operation at the said 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 the Generic World Medical Shop, Vidyanagar, and found 80 bottles of Codeine phosphate syrup in stock. During inspection, grave irregularities, 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, were detected.
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.
DCA director VB Kamalasan Reddy said that taking a serious note of the violations observed, the Drugs Licences of medical shops Generic World, Vidyanagar, and Himalaya Pharma, Old Bowenpally, have been cancelled by the DCA, Telangana, by the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
A case has been registered with COR No. 32/2025 under Section 8(c) r/w Section 20(b) of the NDPS Act at Malkajgiri Prohibition & Excise Station against the accused. Further investigation shall be carried out and action shall be taken as per the law against all the offenders, Reddy said.
