UP Cracks Down On Codeine Syrup Racket; SIT To Investigate Interstate, Foreign Links

The illegal supply network of codeine-based cough syrup has been found operating across more than 28 districts in Uttar Pradesh, with links extending to other states and neighbouring countries, including Nepal and Bangladesh. In view of the scale and seriousness of the case, the state government has decided to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a comprehensive probe.

Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad said the SIT will function under the leadership of an IG-rank officer and will include officials from the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA), as the matter involves multiple districts and interstate ramifications.

Addressing a joint press conference at Lok Bhavan, Sanjay Prasad, Director General of Police, Rajiv Krishna, and FSDA Commissioner Roshan Jacob clarified that several misleading claims regarding the case are being circulated on social media. They categorically stated that no deaths have occurred in the state due to the codeine syrup, and reports linking child deaths in Madhya Pradesh to this case are incorrect.

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Officials said the action is being carried out under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s zero-tolerance policy against illegal narcotics and drug mafias. According to the DGP, 128 cases have been registered so far across 28 districts, with the highest number, 38 cases, reported from Varanasi. 

A total of 35 accused have been arrested, including three super-stockists, Bhola Prasad Jaiswal, Vibhor Rana, and Saurabh Tyagi. Around 3.5 lakh bottles of codeine-based cough syrup have been recovered. Searches are ongoing for the main accused, Shubham Jaiswal, and others linked to the network.

Over the past two months, the FSDA, district police, and the Special Task Force (STF) have jointly carried out extensive investigations and enforcement actions against illegal storage, sale, distribution, and diversion of codeine-based syrup and NDPS-category drugs.

Acting on inputs from the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), Madhya Pradesh, FSDA teams from the headquarters conducted inspections of two syrup manufacturing units in Himachal Pradesh, three in Uttarakhand, a company depot in Haryana, and a super-stockist of a multinational firm located in Ranchi, Jharkhand. In addition, more than 300 wholesalers across 40 districts of the state were verified.

Investigations revealed that large quantities of codeine-based cough syrup were being supplied repeatedly to certain firms, many of which were registered in the names of the same individuals or their close associates. 

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Several licences were found to have been obtained using forged experience certificates, while many firms could not be physically verified. Authorities also found that between one lakh and three lakh bottles were sold to firms whose licences had already been cancelled.

Officials suspect that the illegally diverted syrup was being smuggled to Nepal via districts such as Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri and Bahraich, and to Bangladesh through Varanasi, Ghaziabad and surrounding areas.

FSDA Commissioner Roshan Jacob said the process of cancelling licences of 280 pharmaceutical traders has been initiated, and notices have been issued to the concerned establishments.