Lucknow, December 29: Under the zero-tolerance policy of the CM Yogi government, stringent action has been taken against illegal narcotics over the past nearly nine years, breaking the backbone of drug traffickers.
In continuation of this effort, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) to launch a special drive to effectively control illegal stocking, purchase, sale, distribution, and diversion of codeine-based cough syrups and NDPS-category medicines. Acting on these instructions, the campaign was launched three months ago.
Inter-State Probe Reveals Links With UP-Based Wholesalers
Before initiating the country’s largest crackdown on illegal diversion of codeine-based cough syrup, the department carried out in-depth internal investigations. Probes were conducted in states such as Jharkhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, during which evidence of business relationships between super stockists and wholesalers linked to Uttar Pradesh was gathered.
Following this, a state-wide crackdown was launched, unravelling multiple layers of illegal diversion. Based on the FSDA report, action was initiated against those involved in the narcotics trade.
NDPS Act And BNS Invoked; Allahabad HC Upholds Proceedings
On the Chief Minister’s directions, cases were registered under the NDPS Act and BNS against those misusing the syrup as an intoxicant. The Allahabad High Court upheld proceedings under the NDPS Act and dismissed writ petitions in 22 cases, also rejecting arrest-stay petitions filed by the accused.
Inspections Across 52 Districts; FIRs Against 161 Firms
In the last three months, FSDA inspected more than 332 wholesale drug establishments across 52 districts for illegal stocking, purchase, sale, distribution, and diversion of codeine-based cough syrup and NDPS-category medicines.
Based on documentary and physical evidence, FIRs were lodged against 161 firms/operators in 36 districts under relevant sections of the BNS and NDPS Act.
Gangster Act Action Initiated Against Illegal Assets
District Magistrates were also informed for initiating action under the Gangster Act to seize assets acquired through illegal narcotics. This action against those involved in the illegal diversion of codeine cough syrup is being termed the largest of its kind in the country.
FSDA Forms Special Teams, Conducts Covert Evidence Collection
To probe the matter thoroughly, the FSDA Commissioner constituted multiple district-level teams, with a monitoring team at headquarters. Teams visited various states to discreetly collect evidence.
Details of the quota and lifting of codeine phosphate were obtained from the Central Narcotics Bureau, Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh). They also inspected cough syrup manufacturing units in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Uttarakhand, collecting records related to production and distribution.
Parallel Distribution Network Exposed Across States
Further scrutiny of purchase and sale records was conducted in Ranchi, Delhi, and Lucknow. It was found that most wholesalers could not verify receipt of stock, nor were there sales bills to retail medical stores.
Instead, a parallel distribution network of cough syrups and NDPS-category medicines was created through billing in the names of super stockists in Delhi and Ranchi and certain identified wholesalers linked to them.
After extensive verification, the entire chain was connected, exposing large-scale illegal diversion.
Supplies Far Exceed Medical Requirement; ₹700 Crore Trail Under Lens
In several cases, firms failed to produce sales bills, while some showed transactions only on paper. Even the submitted sales details could not verify actual supply of codeine-based cough syrup to retail outlets, rendering the claimed supplies unsubstantiated. In 2024–25, the supply of codeine-based cough syrup in the state was found to be many times higher than actual medical requirements.
The investigation recorded supplies of over 2.23 crore bottles of Phensedyl manufactured by Abbott Healthcare, over 73 lakh bottles of Ascoff by Laborate Pharmaceuticals, and around 25 lakh bottles from other companies—none of which could be validated for legitimate medical use.
Based on the FSDA report, 79 cases were registered. So far, 85 accused have been arrested, and action is ongoing. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted in the matter is also conducting a detailed probe and is expected to submit its report to the Chief Minister next month.
Regulatory Reforms Proposed To Prevent Future Diversion
On the Chief Minister’s directions, FSDA headquarters has sent a proposal to the government to make the wholesale drug licensing system more stringent and transparent.
The proposal includes geo-tagging of wholesale establishments, verification of storage capacity, and photographic documentation. It also proposes verification of experience certificates of technical personnel by Drug Inspectors.
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Additionally, a proposal is being sent to the Government of India for issuing necessary notifications and guidelines for the manufacture, bulk supply, distribution, and monitoring of codeine-based cough syrups.
