Rajkot: In a major crackdown on the abuse of prescription drugs, Bhavnagar police busted a syndicate that allegedly diverted codeine-based cough syrup into the black market by misusing a licenced pharmacist’s credentials. The syrup, police said, was sold to drug peddlers and used as an intoxicant after being mixed with soft drinks.The breakthrough came after surveillance teams arrested Vinod Vaghela and seized 66 bottles (19.3 litres) of codeine phosphate cough syrup allegedly intended for sale. During the investigation, police discovered that the cough syrup had allegedly been procured using the licence of a registered pharmacist.Based on the evidence, Bortalav police arrested Deesha Bariya (21), a licenced pharmacist, for allegedly renting out her pharmacy licence to a medical store operator in exchange for financial gain. Police alleged that the arrangement enabled the illegal procurement and sale of prescription codeine syrup in violation of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.Investigators said Bariya’s licence was allegedly used by medical store operator Rajesh Sandish to procure large quantities of the prescription medicine without ensuring compliance with legal requirements.Police have so far arrested Vinod Vaghela, Janak Solanki, Rajesh Sandish and the pharmacist Deesha Bariya in the case.Bhavnagar SP Nitesh Pandey said, “The pharmacist knowingly permitted the use of her licence for illegal activities, facilitating the diversion of codeine-based cough syrup into the black market, where such medicines are allegedly sold for abuse and intoxication.”Codeine, an opioid derived from the poppy plant, is used in prescription medicines to treat cough and relieve pain. It has addictive properties and can produce effects similar to morphine and heroin when misused. Because of its narcotic nature, medicines containing codeine can only be sold against a doctor’s prescription.According to police, drug peddlers supply the cough syrup to addicts, who commonly drink it by mixing it with soda to achieve an intoxicating effect. Investigators are now probing the wider distribution network and are examining whether more pharmacies or individuals were involved in the illegal supply chain.
