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Crackdown on illegal codeine racket: UP FSDA files criminal cases under NDPS, BNS for first time
Authorities said the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) traced connections between out-of-state suppliers and super stockists operating illegally in UP, with evidence gathered from Jharkhand, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh enforcement agencies identified 133 firms across 31 districts involved in the illegal diversion of codeine-based syrup for non-medical use, following a months-long investigation covering 52 districts and 332 drug establishments, senior government officials.
Authorities said the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) traced connections between out-of-state suppliers and super stockists operating illegally in UP, with evidence gathered from Jharkhand, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Unlike earlier actions focused on license cancellations, the FSDA has filed criminal cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Acts for the first time.
“Many establishments existed only on paper, worked solely as billing centres, lacked records, and did not maintain proper storage. Diverted cough syrup was trafficked to Nepal through Lucknow, Kanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, and to Bangladesh via Varanasi and Ghaziabad,” officials said.
Cases were reported in Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar, Ghazipur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Bareilly, Sultanpur, Mirzapur, Basti, Azamgarh, Saharanpur, and other districts.
FSDA secretary Dr Roshan Jacob said, “The chief minister instructed strict action against those pushing youth into addiction. This is the strongest campaign anywhere in the country against illegal diversion of codeine-based cough syrup. The network will be dismantled.”
She added that letters were sent to all district magistrates recommending proceedings under the Gangster Act against major offenders, while ensuring small retailers are not harassed and no diverted medicine leaves UP for misuse elsewhere.
