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In a major crackdown on the illicit trade of psychotropic and habit-forming medicines, the Drugs Control Administration (DCA) in Telangana has busted an illegal sales racket operating out of a retail pharmacy in the Medchal-Malkajgiri district.
The enforcement action shows the regulatory body's intensified surveillance against the over-the-counter diversion of controlled substances across the state.
According to sources from the DCA, acting on credible intelligence regarding the indiscriminate sale of narcotic and psychotropic formulations, a team of regulatory officers carried out a surprise raid at SVR Medicals, located in Sri Nagar Colony, Ramanthapur, under the Uppal Mandal jurisdiction. The pharmacy, operated by V Raju and V Savitha, was found to be actively retailing highly regulated drugs to consumers without meeting standard statutory protocols.
During the search operations, the DCA team detected the unauthorized stock and illegal sale of codeine-containing Tossex cough syrups and tramadol-containing Spasmo-Proxyvon Plus capsules. Drug officials seized a total of twenty bottles of the codeine-based cough syrup, each of 120 ml capacity, along with commercial stocks and related documentation from the premises. Both codeine and tramadol are high-alert, habit-forming substances heavily restricted due to their potential for addiction and severe health complications.
The raid unravelled wholesale compliance failures at the retail outlet, with the operators violating multiple provisions of the drug rules. Key infractions documented by the investigators included the sale of habit-forming formulations without valid prescriptions from Registered Medical Practitioners, non-maintenance and failure to produce authentic sales bills, and a total failure to maintain the mandatory Schedule H1 drug register.
The enforcement operation was executed by a team comprising drug inspectors G. Indira Priyadarshini (Habsiguda), B. Praveen (Shameerpet), and P. Ambedkar (Medipally), alongside Assistant Director M. Sreebindu (Shameerpet). The entire action was conducted under the direct supervision of G. Srinivas, Deputy Director-I, DCA. Senior officials reiterated that the unauthorized sale of such scheduled drugs constitutes a grave criminal offense under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, rendering offenders liable for prosecution and imprisonment of up to two years.
In light of rising public health concerns regarding the misuse of sedatives, the Telangana DCA has urged citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspected illegal stocking, over-the-counter sales, or clandestine manufacturing of narcotic and psychotropic substances.
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