Gujarat: Mundra Customs Seizes Rs 110 Crore Worth Of Illicit Narcotic Tramadol Being Smuggled To Africa

An official said that based on intelligence inputs, two export consignments of a Rajkot based merchant exporter bound for West African countries of Sierra Leone and Niger with declared description as Diclofenac Tab and Gebedol Tab were intercepted and upon examination of the consignments, they were found containing ‘Tramaking 225 and ‘Royal-225’ both containing Tramadol Hydrochloride Tablet 225 mg, an illicit narcotic drug notorious as "combat drug" being used by ISIS fighters using it to stay awake for long hours.

Kutch (Gujarat): In second major drug recovery in two days, the Special Investigation and Intelligence Branch (SIIB) of Mundra Customs on Sunday recovered 42,24,000 Tramadol Hydrochloride Tablets worth Rs 70 crores being smuggled to Africa taking the overall seizure to worth Rs 110 crore, officials said.

An official said that based on intelligence gathered by SIIB of Mundra Customs, two export consignments of a Rajkot based merchant exporter destined for West African countries of Sierra Leone and Niger with declared description as Diclofenac Tab and Gebedol Tab were intercepted and examined.

While the declared item was found in the front end of the container, detailed examination revealed boxes containing undeclared medicine strips bearing marking as ‘Tramaking 225 and ‘Royal-225’ both containing Tramadol Hydrochloride Tablet 225 mg, the official said adding neither, the strips nor the boxes had any details of the Manufacturer. A total of around 68 lakh tabletsof Tramadol with an International Street Price of around Rs 110 crorewere recovered by the Customs officers during the examination and have been seized, said the official. Follow-up searches are underway at Rajkot, Gandhinagar and Gandhidham.

Tramadol, an opioid pain medication, is a psychotropic substance and export of tramadol is restricted under section 8(c) of NDPS Act, 1985. Tramadol was notified as a psychotropic substance under the NDPS Act in 2018.

ISIS Connection: Tramadol has recently gained notoriety as a "combat drug" after reports of ISIS fighters using it to stay awake for long hours. It is also reported that this synthetic opioid drug is popular and in high demand in African nations like Nigeria, Ghana, etc. This seizure by Mundra Customs is among the largest seizure of Tramadol since it was notified under the NDPS Act.

High Demand In African Countries: Notably, this synthetic opioid drug is popular and in high demand in African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, etc. The seizure made by the Mundra Customs Department is one of the biggest seizures of Tramadol since it was notified under the NDPS Act. Further investigation is underway in the matter.

The Assam Police also seized 30,000 Yaba tablets worth Rs 9 crore in Cachar district and arrested an accused in connection with the same on Saturday as per officials.

The search operation was conducted on the night of July 27 following a specific input regarding the transportation of narcotic substances in the Katakhal area under the jurisdiction of Dholai Police Station.

The arrested accused has been identified as Abdul Alim (42) a resident of Saptagram village under Dholai police station.