• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

The first major crack in Uttar Pradesh's Rs 100-crore codeine racket emerged in October, when Sonbhadra Police intercepted two container trucks bound for Ranchi. Hidden in cartons of chips and namkeen were over 1 lakh bottles of codeine-based cough syrup, worth nearly Rs 3.5 crore. The police soon traced the supply back to a little-known trader from Varanasi, identified as Shubham Jaiswal. An FIR was filed on November 15 in the case, naming Shubham Jaiswal, his father Bhola Prasad Jaiswal and 26 other drug traders.

The Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (UPFSDA) soon joined the investigation and, along with the SIT and Anti-Narcotics Team, raided a warehouse in Varanasi earlier this month. The officials found stacks of cardboard cartons, filled with codeine-based cough syrup bottles. Nearly 93,000 bottles, worth around Rs 2 crore, were seized in that single raid.

ALSO READ: UP STF Probes Rs 300 Crore Cough Syrup Smuggling Racket Linked To Bangladesh; US Pharma Firm Served Notice

Investigators traced the trail of these bottles back to a web of shell companies, missing owners, fake prescriptions, forged licences, and small-town medical shops that existed only on paper. What began as a routine seizure has since spiralled into one of Uttar Pradesh's biggest narcotics investigations in recent years.

Rs 100-Crore Racket

According to UPFSDA and police reports, the racket moved close to 89 lakh bottles of codeine-laced cough syrup between 2023 and 2025, valued at around Rs 100 crore. The alleged mastermind, Shubham Jaiswal, and his father, Bhola Prasad Jaiswal, ran the operation through a cluster of firms, many non-existent.

According to Varanasi Drug Inspector Zunab Ali, many of the firms named in the FIR were closed or simply failed to provide purchase-sale records. He said that many firms have also purchased lakhs of bottles without maintaining mandatory records.

"The FIR we filed on the 15th involved 26 Varanasi-based firms and Shaili Traders, totalling 28 individuals. We investigated the remaining firms, including 12 that were included in the FIR. They were found suspicious because many of the firms were closed, and some failed to provide sale-purchase records," Zunab Ali said.

"Among the larger firms, Shri Hari Pharma, under Amit Jaiswal, purchased at least 6 lakh bottles, for which no records were found. Another firm, Vishwanath Medical Agency, owned by Vishal Kumar, also purchased over 5 lakh bottles but has yet to provide records. Another firm, Radhika Enterprises, purchased over 1 lakh bottles from Shaili Traders. This suggests they were colluding to create diversions," Zunab Ali said.

Mastermind Flees India

According to a Jagran.com report, Shubham Jaiswal fled India on November 5, travelling from Ranchi to Kolkata and then taking a flight to Dubai, before he was officially named in the FIR, which was filed on November 15. Surveillance records accessed by investigators later confirmed Shubham Jaiswal's movements.

Police say he operated multiple fake trading firms in Varanasi and Ghaziabad, using them to stockpile and redistribute codeine-based syrups for non-medical use across Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bengal, Bihar and even Nepal. Varanasi Police Commissioner Mohit Agrawal also set up a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on November 17, headed by IPS officer Saravanan T, to investigate the criminal network and the money trail.

ALSO READ: UP News: FDA, Central Team Conduct Risk-Based Inspections Of Cough Syrup Manufacturers Following Child Deaths

SIT officials confirmed that cyber and financial forensics teams are examining Shubham’s phone data, communication records and business transactions. A Look-Out Circular has already been issued against him.

How The Racket Operated

The model was simple but effective:

- Dozens of fake drug firms were created using forged documents.

- These firms bought large quantities of branded codeine syrups such as Phensedyl.

- Fake prescriptions and false medical records were used to justify bulk purchases.

- Shell distributors issued bogus bills showing the syrup being sold to retail medical shops.

- But most of these shops either did not exist or were shut.

According to a Jagran.com report, Ranchi-based Shaili Traders purchased 89 lakh bottles between 2023 and 2025 and falsely showed sending 84 lakh bottles to 93 medical stores in the Varanasi region, many of which were shuttered or non-operational.

Some examples cited in the Jagran report:

- DSA Pharma and Mahakaal Medical were found selling codeine syrups illegally.

- GD Enterprises bought 2.14 lakh bottles, but had no sales records.

- New PL Pharma claimed to have sold 2.16 lakh bottles to Balaji Medical, which was already closed.

FSDA Commissioner Roshan Jacob led a parallel inquiry from 12 to 14 November, tracing the entire supply chain from Ranchi to retail outlets in UP. Over 87 firms have been booked based on FSDA findings.

ALSO READ: Cough Syrup Tragedy: Centre To Introduce New Law To Strengthen Drug Regulation Following MP Child Deaths

"An FIR has already been registered in Ghaziabad regarding cough syrup, in which cough syrup was recovered from a godown. Similarly, in Sonbhadra, cough syrup was recovered from two trucks. In continuity with this investigation, an FIR has also been registered in our district against 26 firms under the Kotwali police station jurisdiction," Varanasi Police Commissioner Mohit Agrawal said.

The syndicate's networks were found in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. Investigators are also examining alleged links to Bangladesh and Gulf countries, as mentioned in preliminary reports. While these international connections are not yet fully verified, police say the possibility cannot be ruled out.

Political Reactions:

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the state government of "convenient silence" and called the racket a "poisonous scam," demanding a high-level judicial probe. "Spurious syrup is reaching hospitals, jails and homes under the government's nose. The Health Department is maintaining convenient silence. Those with political connections appear to be shielding the criminals. This is a poisonous scam and a crime against humanity," Akhilesh Yadav said in a tweet on X.

Akhilesh further questioned the government's no-bulldozer action against the accused. "Cough syrup mafia are all from the BJP. This cough syrup claimed so many lives, even kids are dying. People of the BJP are playing with innocent lives. Now, where is their bulldozer?" he asked.

UP Congress chief Ajay Rai said the main accused had fled the country and alleged protection of the traffickers by certain officials. Rai also demanded a judicial inquiry and seizure of assets. "The main accused has fled the country; this is the result of protection by leaders and officials. We demand a judicial probe, seizure of properties and immediate arrests," Ajai Rai said.

"In FIR registered on Nov 15, full name of accused Shubham Jaiswal, his father's name and address were mentioned but in FIR registered on Nov 19, the same accused Shubham Jaiswal's father's name and home address disappeared," Rai further alleged.

Also In News