Thane, February 2: Police have arrested five persons for illegally possessing a large number of bottles of two banned cough syrups valued at Rs 31.75 lakh in Thane district of Maharashtra, an official said. These narcotic-laced cough syrups are often misused for intoxication, posing a serious public health hazard. The accused were in possession of the drugs despite knowing that their sale was prohibited without proper authorisation, police said. Alprazolam Factory Busted in Anand by Gujarat ATS; 6 Held With Banned Drug Worth INR 107 Crore.

Based on a tip, the five persons were apprehended in Bhiwandi town on January 31, an official from Narpoli police station said. The crime branch sleuths police seized 17,640 bottles of the cough syrups, having codeine phosphate (a type of opiate) and other chemicals. They were stored in 147 boxes and were intended for illegal sale, he said. Two Held with 192 Bottles of Codeine Phosphate in Thane.

"We are probing from where the accused obtained the stock and to whom they intended to sell it. Further arrests may follow as we uncover the larger supply chain," the official said. A case has been registered against the five persons, in the age group of 24 to 45 years, under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)