ED raids three pharma units in Baddi, Nalagarh
In another move tarnishing the image of the state’s pharmaceutical industry, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Jalandhar, raided the office and residential premises of three pharma units based at Jharmajri in Baddi and Nalagarh on Tuesday.
The raid lasted till late hours and were part of search operations conducted by the agency at 16 locations across Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra in connection with a money laundering investigation related to inter-state drug trafficking network involved in supplying of psychotropic/ intoxicant substances such as tramadol, alprazolam, etc. illegally.
The office linked to M/s Smilax Pharmachem Drug Industries and its sister concern, M/s Biogenetic Drugs Private Limited, and M/s CB Healthcare located in the Baddi-Nalagarh industrial cluster were searched.
“During the course of search, various incriminating records, digital devices such as mobile phone, laptop etc, and other relevant evidences critical in establishing the financial trail and uncovering the modus operandi of the entities involved were recovered and seized. ED initiated investigation on the basis of FIR registered by the Punjab Police under various sections of the NDPS Act-1985,” as per the agency’s press release issued on Wednesday.
The ED investigation revealed that the middle men were procuring huge quantities of psychotropic tablets from pharmaceutical firms/ manufacturing companies and diverting it for sale in black market at high cost than the retail price through drug peddlers, thereby generating huge proceeds of rime. Further investigation is under progress.
Punjab’s special task force (STF) had unearthed large-scale diversion of psychotropic drugs for one year after raiding Smilax Pharmachem Drug Industries in May 2024. They had found records confirming the manufacture of 20 crore alprazolam tablets in just eight months. A cache of drugs was recovered from unlicensed premises in Punjab, following which they had initiated a probe.
The firm purchased 6,500 kg of intoxicant tramadol powder in a year. As per the standard operating procedure (SOP) under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the manufacturer is required to give billing information of its consignment, including quantity of drugs, expiry date and destination, to the SDC and SP while dispatching drugs. The measure was introduced in June 2021 to tighten noose around erring units which diverted psychotropic drugs for illegal sale.
The state drug authorities had cancelled permission to manufacture drugs having dual presence under the NDPS Act and Drugs and Cosmetics Act following the STF action.
Himachal Tribune