Manipur drug network busted, 8,320 bottles of codeine cough syrup seized

Security forces have seized 8,320 bottles of codeine-laced cough syrup from a riverbank in Manipur's Imphal West district, police said on October 7, following the arrest of three people in connection with an alleged drug network.

According to police, the seizure comprised 52 boxes containing the cough syrup. The recovery was made following the interrogation of three people apprehended on October 4 from Imphal East and Imphal West districts.

Investigators identified Nongthombam Jamesjit, owner of a drug store at Naoremthong Bazar in Imphal West, as the suspected kingpin of the network, police said.

Jamesjit was arrested in Ahmedabad on Tuesday and brought into the investigation, they said.

Police said the seizure and arrests were part of an ongoing probe into the supply and distribution of codeine-based cough syrup in Manipur.

Codeine-based formulations are regulated medicines in India and can be sold or distributed only in accordance with prescription and other requirements under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

Unauthorised possession, transportation or sale of such formulations beyond the permitted regulatory framework can also attract provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Further investigation is underway to establish the source of the consignment, its intended destination and the involvement of other members of the alleged network.