Hyderabad: The Managing Director, along with the Vice President and three employees of a pharmaceutical company in Sangareddy were placed under arrest by the Bengaluru unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for allegedly manufacturing and exporting Tramadol, a psychotropic drug, to Pakistan.
Officials detected unauthorized re-export of Tramadol to Pakistan to the tune of 25,000 kilos in 2021 and a discrepancy pertaining to the declared stock of Acetic Anhydride to the extent of around 3.85 kilos. Both Tramadol and Acetic Anhydride are controlled under the NDPS Act of 1985 from 2018.
The operation was unearthed following a search conducted at Lucent Drugs Pvt Ltd, a pharma company in Sangareddy district, which manufactures Integrated API and Intermediates, and is also one of the key exporters of Tramadol, a prescription drug primarily used to relieve pain and is notorious for its use as a recreational drug.
Zonal Director of NCB Amit Ghawate said that the drug was reaching Pakistan through airways and seaways from Telangana. “Prescribed as a pain killer in small doses, Tramadol gets a person high if taken in 300 or 500 mg of dose. It is among the worst hit of drugs during the Opioid wave in the world and NCB is the first to unearth this operation. The potency of the drug manufactured at Lucent was purest at 99 percent. We are further investigating the involvement of other parties and their buyers in Pakistan,” he said.
Recreational use of high doses of Tramadol is associated with an increased risk of seizures or convulsion and Acetic Anhydride, a precursor/controlled substance, is an important reaction agent for the illicit production of heroin.
The official also shared how he personally took interest in the case and cracked it tactfully after a year long investigation. “The people running this operation are very smart and highly educated. We searched the premises of Lucent Drugs Pvt Ltd and detected unauthorized re-export of 25,000 kilos of Tramadol to Pakistan in 2021. During physical verification of the declared stock of Acetic Anhydride in the factory premises, it was found that there was a shortage of 3.85 kilos, as compared to the declared stock. During the course of the investigation, the documents and digital evidence revealed that the company had obtained an NOC (No Objection Certificate) for the export of Tramadol to Denmark, Germany, and Malaysia only, but they had innovated a channel to re-export the drug to Pakistan without any valid permission. The company had suppressed the ultimate destination, Pakistan, and the re-export details,” said Ghawate.
