Guwahati: The Assam police on Thursday seized 61,000 bottles of Phensedyl, valued at Rs four crore in the grey market, from a vehicle in Assam’s Karimganj district along the Assam-Tripura inter-state border. The police also arrested one person, Biswajit Biswas, a resident of Tripura, for transporting the banned cough syrup. The police are investigating the origin and destination of the contraband item.
“Based on source input, IC Churaibari intercepted a vehicle at Assam Tripura border and recovered a total of 61,000 bottles of codeine phosphate cough syrup, phensedyl from the secret chamber of a vehicle. One person apprehended in this regard,” the Karimganj police stated in a post on X, previously Twitter.
In yet another operation, the Karimganj police seized 594 kilogram of cannabis from a vehicle at Churaibari in the district.
Acting on specific input, personnel of the Karimganj police intercepted a vehicle at the Churaibari check post and seized the consignment of cannabis. The narcotic substance, packed in 58 packets, were recovered from the secret chambers of the vehicle.
Phensedyl, which is banned in India, gets its way to the country from neighbouring Myanmar through the porous borders of Tripura, Mizoram, and Assam.
Due to its popularity among the youth and high demand in the market, drug traffickers smuggle it into the country from Myanmar through Bangladesh. Smuggling of phensedyl has almost doubled in the last couple of years and has been a growing menace for the police, Border Security Force (BSF), and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
According to activists associated with the cause of drug de-addiction, drug addiction has been increasing among the youths of the Northeast at an uncontrollable pace. Around a decade ago, drug addiction was confined to heroin, brown sugar, cocaine, or morphine, but now, drug users try all forms of addictive substances.
Drug addicts use several pharmaceutical drugs like cough syrups, decongestants, and antihistamines for addiction. This type of addiction is called prescriptional drug abuse.
These pharmaceutical drugs are actually advised by professional medical practitioners in small quantities to be taken under strict medical supervision but due to their euphoric effect, drug traffickers sell them on the black market.
Lack of awareness, proper counselling, and accessibility of easy money among the youths from their parents are some of the factors which are contributing to the growing menace of substance abuse in the region.
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