STF seizes 70.42 L intoxicating tablets, 725 kg tramadol powder

PK Jaiswar

Amritsar, May 11

After a nearly three-month probe into opioids racket, the Special Task Force (Border Range) busted an interstate network involved in manufacturing of psychotropic substances at a Baddi-based pharma factory.

In the operation spread across five states —Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra — cops arrested seven drug smugglers and seized 70.42 lakh intoxicating tablets, 725.5 kg tramadol powder and Rs 2.37 lakh drug money.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said Sukhwinder Singh, alias Dhami, a resident of Kot Muhammad Khan village in Tarn Taran, and Jaspreet Singh, alias Jass of Govind Nagar in Amritsar, were arrested after cops seized 4.24 lakh intoxicant tablets and Rs 1 lakh drug money in Beas in February.

Later, the STF nabbed kingpin of the racket, Alex Paliwal, from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh and recovered 9.04 lakh intoxicants and Rs 1.37 lakh drug money from his possession.

After interrogation of Paliwal, the police teams and the Drug Control Officers inspected Biogenetic Drug Private Limited and seized records indicating that the firm had manufactured more than 20 crore Alprazolam tablets in eight months.

The records further led to Aster Pharma in Maharashtra and Smilex Pharmachem Drug Industries in Baddi.

The DGP said the raiding teams seized 47.32 lakh intoxicant capsules and 725.5 kg of tramadol powder, sufficient to manufacture 1.5 crore capsules, from Smilex Pharmachem Drug Industries, which had procured 6,500 kg of tramadol powder within a year.

He said the probe led to the arrest of Intezar Salmani, Prince Salmani, Baljinder Singh, and Suba Singh.

The police teams seized 9.80 lakh intoxicant tablets from a vehicle near the Chandigarh Railway Station, said the DGP.