Cheap pharma drugs replace contraband in rural mkt

Ludhiana: As the police continue to recover large quantities of prescription drugs from various areas of Ludhiana rural, it has come to fore that the addicts are shifting to such drugs because of non-availability of heroin and other drugs and higher cost of contraband due to less supply.
In the last three months, the Ludhiana rural police have recovered more than 50,000 intoxicating tablets.
On May 7, in one of the biggest recoveries of psychotropic tablets, the anti-narcotics wing of Ludhiana rural police had arrested Sandeep Singh Monu of Nimm Wali Gali, near Ishar Halwai Chowk in Jagraon after 26,000 intoxicant tablets of alprazolam (sedative) and 16,000 tablets of colomazolam (sedative) were recovered from him. A day after, the anti-narcotics wing arrested 35-year-old Kuldeep Singh of Nanak Nagri Tehh in Jagraon with 15,000 sedatives while he was allegedly preparing to run from the city.
These are not the only recoveries. The police records suggest that the rural cops have arrested about 15 drug peddlers with intoxicating tablets in the last three months. The arrested peddlers include women too who are into prescription drugs smuggling.
Police officers admit that there has been a spurt in the peddling of prescription drugs. They believe that police officials said addicts prefer prescription drugs because these are cheap as compared to heroin, opium whose prices have increased significantly due of less supply. They added that the addicts tell police they get almost the kind of high from the medical drugs as the traditional drugs including heroin and opium.
“Yes, we have arrested many peddlers who are into pharmaceutical drug peddling. There is a new trend of more peddlers smuggling prescription drugs mainly for two reasons. Firstly, the police have managed to put a check on smuggling of heroin and other traditional drugs like opium. Secondly, there has been a rise in the prices of these drugs because of less supply,” said inspector Navdeep Singh, in-charge, anti-narcotics wing, rural police.
“Because of these two aspects, the peddlers are smuggling pharmaceutical drugs, which are easliy available in the markets of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh,” the inspector said.
The medical experts confirm the emerging trend in the district.
“The addicts seeking de-addiction, do share that they go for medical drugs like pain killers (which are opioid-based) and sedatives as heroin and opium are costly and are not available whereas the pharmaceutical medical drugs are. Moreover, the opioid drugs provide the same kick to the addicts like the traditional drugs. Sedatives give alcohol-like results and relax the brain. However, both these classes of drugs are being used by addicts,” said Dr Anshu Gupta, a city-based psychiatrist and de-addiction expert.
Making profit
Police officials said whereas normally a patient consumes a only one tablet of such sedatives during the day, that too on prescription of a psychiatrist, addicts consume 10 to 15. They added that whereas the routine price of a generic sedative is Rs 17.45 per strip, the peddlers sell the same between Rs 100 and 150
Phrama drugs in UP and Delhi
Sources in the police said the pharmaceutical drugs are being brought by peddlers from Barelley, Saharanpur, Meerut, Balia areas of Uttar Pradesh and from Delhi. He added that the peddlers bring such drugs from these cities because of the lucrative incentive against a sizeable profit margin Cops said peddlers chose these cities for easy availability and cheap rates. They added that since the demand in Punjab among addicts for such drugs is high, the peddlers sell these at much higher rates. Former Punjab DGP Shashi Kant said peddlers are bringing prescription drugs from cities in nearby Uttar Pradesh because of availability without prescription and cheap rates
Recent recoveries by rural police
June 27 | Ludhiana rural police arrested Balwinder Singh and Veerpal Kaur of Talwandi Nau Abadh, now at Salempur Tibba, after 540 drugs tablets were recovered from them
June 21 | The rural police arrested a drug peddler after it recovered three hundred tablets of sedatives from him near Abbupura village. The accused was identified as 50-year-old Kashmir Singh of Kholian Wala Pull Malsihan Bajan in Sidhwan Bet area, who works as labourer
June 19 | Ludhiana rural police arrested Karamjit Singh and Boota Singh, both of Salempura in Sidhwan Bet after it recovered 500 psychotropic tablets from them
June 13 | The rural police arrested drug peddlers after one 1,000 intoxicant tablets of various types were recovered from them. The accused was identified as 35-year-old Subash Singh Bittu of Kul Gehna village in Sidhwan Bet
20% medical drug peddlers females
Police officials said that about 80% of the arrested medical drug peddlers are male whereas around 20% are females. They added that most medical drugs peddlers in Ludhiana rural police district, have been arrested from Sidhwan Bet area but such peddlers have also been arrested from other areas including Dakha, Raikot, Hathur and Jodhan.