Delhi Police cracks down on illegal narcotic medicines racket, 1 arrested

A team of Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Delhi Police in South West District arrested one drug peddler and seized a total 83090 tablets of banned pharma drugs (Alprazolam & Zolpidem) and 26,000 packets of prohibited foreign cigarettes from Mehram Nagar area of Delhi Cantt, police said on Wednesday.

According to a statement, the crackdown on the prohibited narcotics medicine unfolded when Delhi police received credible information regarding certain international cargo courier service operators in the Mehram Nagar area who are involved in supplying these medicines and imported cigarettes.

The information revealed that the peddlers have set up a few godowns in the Mehram Nagar area where these prohibited items are being stored.

The ANTF team of Delhi police led further investigation and identified the suspect's location in Mehram Nagar. The team laid trap near the identified premises and arrested the accessed identified as Sanjay Kumar Pandey, the statement said.

During the search of the premises, a large number of cartons containing prohibited narcotic medicine tablets and imported cigarettes were recovered from the premises. Upon checking all the boxes, a huge quantity of contraband was found, including: 83,090 tablets (1MG each tablet) of banned pharmaceutical drugs (Alprazolam & Zolpidem) and 26,000 packets of prohibited foreign cigarettes, which did not bear the mandatory health warning or MRP as required under the COTPA Act.

The accused admitted that they do not have a License or medical prescriptions for the sale, import, export or storage of the said items in Delhi and NCR, the statement said.

The accused revealed that his brother, Pramod Pandey, helped him establish a business of international cargo and courier services at Mehram Nagar. Currently, Pramod Pandey has set up his business in Dubai and is absconding in other NDPS-related cases. Sanjay used to supply these prohibited medicines at high rates. In 2011, he was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau, Delhi, with a large quantity of prohibited medicines and was sent to jail. After getting bail, he shifted to Mumbai, where he was again apprehended by the Narcotics team with drugs and was sent to jail, the statement read.

The case is a significant bust of a foreign-linked narcotics supply chain and disrupted mid-level operations in the capital. Further investigation regarding the source and supply chain of drug supplier (Narcotics Substance) and prohibited foreign cigarettes is under progress.