On receiving authentic inputs about air lifting of intoxicating drugs/ consignments, an intensive raid of the courier agencies of the district Srinagar was carried out under the leadership of Deputy Drug Controller, Nighat Jabeen with a prudent approach.
During the said exercise, the constituted team of Drug control officers comprising Sameer Sajad, Rumeesa Mohammad, Imtiyaz Ahmad Shalla and Shaila Farooqi conducted a surprise raid of one of courier agencies housed in the vicinity of the District Srinagar.
The team seized 23000 tablets of different brands of Tapentadol valued approximately Rs 670000 during the raid. The particulars of consignee and consignor mentioned on the consignment are under investigation. Tapentadol is a schedule H1 Opioid analgesic which has to be sold against the prescriptions of RMP for medicinal purposes. The Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 provides that the record of sale of this drug has to be maintained by preserving the prescription for record and also maintain records of sale in the shape of cash memo /credit memo. Of late, it has been observed that these drugs are being used by adolescents for addiction purposes.
The department is in process of completing the procedure of relevant regulations and all such persons who have connived in the omission/breach shall be booked under law in due course of time. Deputy Drug Controller Kashmir has appreciated the efforts of the team and expressed that the department shall bring the matter to its logical end. Further, she has expressed that the department shall continue such exercises in future and eradicate the menace of drug addiction to the entire satisfaction of the Government.
She has appealed to the Pharma trade and courier trade agencies for furnishing information about illegal activities of such nature to the departmental authorities, so that the menace of drug addiction which has become a social evil can be eradicated from the society.