Narcotics Bureau busts illicit drug factory in Delhi, two arrested

Central Bureau of Narcotics has busted an illegal drug factory in the Bawana Industrial Area in national capital Delhi which was manufacturing prohibited drug Tramadol and was selling it in the garb of ayurvedic medicine through a front store in Sirsa in the neighbouring state of Haryana, said officials in the ministry of finance.

NEW DELHI: Central Bureau of Narcotics has busted an illegal drug factory in the Bawana Industrial Area in national capital Delhi which was manufacturing prohibited drug Tramadol and was selling it in the garb of ayurvedic medicine through a front store in Sirsa in the neighbouring state of Haryana, said officials in the ministry of finance.

Officials said the Preventive and Intelligence Cell of Central Bureau of Narcotics in New Delhi developed specific information about a clandestine manufacturing plant of Tramadol in Bawana Industrial Area in New Delhi.

“Acting on the said specific information, a joint preventive team of Central Bureau of Narcotics, New Delhi and Gwalior conducted raids at Plot No. 93, Pocket G, Sector 5, Bawana Industrial Area, New Delhi and at Sh. Balaji Ayurvedic Store at Janta Bhawan Road in Sirsa in Haryana on February 7, and unearthed a clandestine Tramadol manufacturing unit,” the ministry said in a statement issued on Friday.

Officials said the manufacturing unit was running in disguise of a honey processing plant and manufactured Tramadol Tablets were branded as Ayurvedic medicine. The search of the said premises resulted in the recovery of over 52 kilograms of Tramadol pills and powder and more than 1 kilogram of another substance suspected to be opium.

Drug menace a poll issue in neighbouring Punjab

The news of the busting of an illegal drug factory in Delhi and its sales outlet in Haryana comes at a time when Haryana’s neighbouring state Punjab is going to assembly elections where drug menace is a big election issue. Voting for all 117 assembly seats in Punjab will take place two days later on Sunday (February 20) and the counting will take place on March 10.

Tramadol declared Psychotropic substance in 2018

According to the officials, Tramadol drug is an opioid analgesic of the same family of drugs as medications like Oxycodone and Hydrocodone and given its misuse for addiction purpose, the government had declared it a psychotropic substance in April 2018.

Officials said huge quantities of packing and labelling materials have also been seized along with the machinery used in the manufacture of the pills under the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985.

They also said that parallel raids were conducted at Sh. Balaji Ayurvedic Store, Janta Bhawan Road, Sirsa (Haryana), which was being used as forefront for diversion of manufactured Tramadol pills in disguise of Ayurvedic Medicines.

“The search of the said store resulted in the recovery of pills containing 1.420 kg of Medicinal Opium and pills suspected to be containing 0.495 kg of Tramadol,” the officials said. Officials have registered a case under Sections 8, 18, 21, 22, 25, 28 and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985 and arrested two persons. Narcotics Commissioner Rajesh Fattesing Dhabre said that the crackdown operations will continue.

Section 8 of NDPS Act

Section 8 of the NDPS Act prohibits any person from cultivating any coca plant or gathering any portion of coca plant and also the cultivation of the opium poppy or any cannabis plant. The Section also prohibits production, manufacture, possession, sale, purchase, transport, warehouse, use, consumption, import and export of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance.

Officials said the Central Bureau of Narcotics has booked 7 cases and has seized more than 25 kilograms of Opium, 1.420 kilograms of Medicinal Opium, 1738 kilograms of Poppy Straw, 290 gram Heroin, 52.740 kilogram Tramadol so far this year.