CRIME BRANCH SEIZES 1506 BOTTLES OF CODEINE BASED COUGH SYRUP USED AS INTOXICANT PRICED APPROX. 1.20 CRORE IN GREY MARKET
NEW DELHI
CRIME BRANCH
ONE PARCEL PACKER ALONGWITH ONE TRUCK DRIVER ARRESTED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING.
SEIZED 15606 BOTTLES OF CODEINE BASED COUGH SYRUP.
RECOVERED BOTTLES WERE TO BE SUPPLIED TO NORTH EASTERN REGION FOR USE AS INTOXICANT.
VALUE OF SEIZED CONTRABAND IN GREY MARKET IS APPROXIMATELY RS. 1.20 CRORE.
INTRODUCTION:-
Crime Branch has apprehended two drug traffickers namely (i) Ajay Kumar Tiwari (23 years) s/o Angad Prasad Tiwari r/o , Ambedkar Camp, Jhilmil Industrial Area, Delhi and (ii) Jaswant Tiwari @ Lallu Tiwari s/o Shyam Nath Tiwari r/o , Ambedkar Camp, Jhilmil Industrial Area, Delhi and recovered 15606 bottles of codeine based cough syrup of ‘Phensedyl’ brand. The recovered contraband is valued Rs.1.20 crore (approximately) in international market.
TEAM AND OPERATION:-
On 24.04.2014, a secret input was received by SI Sunil Jain that one Anil resident of Kolkata, after taking Codeine Syrup illegally from some unscrupulous sellers in Agra and Rajasthan, would supply it to Kolkata via Delhi through Railway parcels in connivance with Lallu and Ajay r/o Delhi, for further supply to North Eastern states. It was further gathered that Lallu and Ajay would come alongwith the illegal consignment of Codeine syrup loaded in a Mahindra truck No.DL-ILP 6051 go to railway parcel office via Novelty Cinema, Delhi. Accordingly, a team led by Inspr Vivek Pathak and comprising of SI Sunil Jain, HCs Mukesh, Om Parkash, Yogesh, Rajesh, Ct Kheta Ram was constituted under the close supervision of ACP Zile Singh and overall guidance of DCP Bhisham Singh to nab them. A trap was laid near Novelty Cinema and the Mahindra truck No.DL-IP-6051 was intercepted. On conducting vehicle search as per law, 15606 Codeine based Syrup bottles of ‘Phensedyl’ brand kept in 39 cartons were recovered from the truck and the occupants could not produce any valid document for possessing the contraband legally. A case vide FIR No.43/14 dated 24.04.2014 u/s 21/25/29 of NDPS Act has been registered at PS Crime Branch in this regard. The truck driver and one more occupant were found sitting in the truck who were arrested and were identified as Ajay Kumar Tiwari s/o Angad Prasad Tiwari r/o E-42/451, Ambedkar Camp, Jhilmil Industrial Area, Delhi and Jaswant Tiwari @ Lallu s/o Shyam Nath Tiwari r/o E-42/451, Ambedkar Camp, Jhilmil Industrial Area Delhi respectively.
INTERROGATION:-
During sustained interrogation, accused Ajay Tiwari has disclosed that his associate Jaswant is his relative and he had came to Delhi on Jaswant’s insistence and started driving truck for him. Jaswant had purchased one truck and two ‘Champion’ mini trucks which were driven by him. In the morning of 24.4.2014, Jaswant offered him good money for transport of Codeine syrup illegally from Bhagirath Place to Railway parcel/transportation agent at Patel Nagar, Delhi. However, it was caught midway before reaching the destination.
During further interrogation, Jaswant Tiwari disclosed that he came to Delhi about 25 years ago and started living with his maternal uncle, who was working as a wholesale commission agent of medicines in Bhagirath Palace, Delhi. His uncle had no issue so he started assisting him. He took over his uncle’s business after his death about 15 years ago. Initially, he started packing and transporting the consignment of medicines/medicinal products through parcel all over India. Later, he came to know that the drugs like Phensedyl were illegally transported to North-Eastern states for use as intoxicants. He used to get handsome money for such transportation. Due to huge profit, he completely switched over to transportation of Codeine based syrup.
Codeine based cough syrup is used for intoxication purpose and is popularly known as Purple Drank. The recovered ‘Phensedyl’ Syrup was to be supplied to Kolkata and thereafter to North-Eastern states like Mizoram where sale of liquor is banned being a dry area. This syrup is sold in those areas for eight to ten times of the maximum retail price. The demand for this syrup is rocketing as it is consumed as intoxicant by users especially youngsters. Due to its Codeine content, it gives pleasant feeling to the user. Due to high popularity and availability, this syrup is also in great demand in neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar.
HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coughsyrup-promethcode.jpg”
The backdrop of usage of this drug is that opium, coming from the opium poppy plant, was popular in England as early as year 1704. In those early days, opium was usually sold in elixirs such as paregoric, which were marketed as “pain soothers”. In 1804, a German pharmacist discovered how to isolate morphine from opium, which gave rise to the discovery in 1832 of Codeine by Pierre Robiquet, a French chemist. The name, “codeine” comes from the Greek word that refers to the head of the poppy plant.
Drug manufacturers have had to depend on using the tar from opiate poppies to synthesize morphine, codeine and almost all of the other opiate-based drugs
The most common medical use of Codeine is related to its ability to suppress or even end chronic coughing, medically called an antitussive. This is commonly known as “purple drank” among users. The physiological effects of purple drank on the user is to produce mild “euphoric side effects”, such as lethargy, drowsiness, and a dissociative feeling from all other parts of the body. The super-sweet combination of soda and cough syrup provides a flavor and mouth-feel throughout the day. This phenomenon is often appealing to first time users. Purple drank is often used in combination with alcohol and/or other drugs.
On July 5, 2010, former Oakland Raider quarterback Ja Marcus Russell (a football player) was arrested at his home for possession of codeine syrup without a prescription.
Purple Drank’ initially referred to a mixture of codeine cough syrup is also known by other names such as “syrup,” “sizzurp,” “barre,” and “lean.”
PROFILE:-
Ajay Kumar Tiwari (23 years) s/o Angad Prasad Tiwari r/o Ambedkar Camp, Jhilmil Industrial Area, Delhi is hails from Gonda, U.P. and an illiterate. They are five brothers and one sister in all. All his brothers and sister are married and living separately. He was married four years ago and blessed with two children. He was helping his father in farming. During that time he learnt driving and started driving small trucks and other commercial vehicles locally.
(ii) Jaswant Tiwari @ Lallu (39 years) s/o Shyam Nath Tiwari r/o , Ambedkar Camp, Jhilmil Industrial Area, Delhi also hails from Gonda, U.P. and an illiterate. They are two brothers and one sister in all and all are married. He was married about twenty years ago and has five children.
Further investigation is going on to nab the source and break the syndicate.
(RAVINDRA YADAV)IPS
ADDL.COMMISSIONER OF POLICE
CRIME:DELHI
Source:Delhi Police (PR Cell)
