BSF seizes Phensedyl worth Rs. 3.8 lakh in WB

The Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday seized 3045 narcotic substance codeine-based cough syrup bottles of Phensedyl worth Rs. 3,88,238 (approx) near India-Bangladesh border in Murshidabad district's Baharampur area.

The bottles were to be smuggled to Bangladesh where these cough syrups are banned and their sale is punishable.

The BSF has seized over 700,000 bottles of Phensedyl worth about Rs. seven crore in the last four years.

The customs headquarters in Shillong seized 29,600 bottles of Phensedyl in February this year from a truck bearing a Nagaland license plate near Thangsalai village last year.

The government had taken a major step to ban the manufacturing of codeine-based cough syrups, which were earlier easily available at the chemist shops.

These syrups, which were being sold under brand names Corex, Phensedyl, Rexcof, had become a major menace as many youths became addicted to them.

Although codeine-based cough syrups are effective in suppressing cough and cold their misuse emerged as a major problem.

The active ingredient codeine is a narcotic belonging to a class of chemicals called opioid.