Navi Mumbai : In order to trace the manufacturing of Tramadol Hydrochloride tablets that were seized from the Nigerians, the Narcotics cell has sought help from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to find the place of the manufacturing, which they suspect could be in Maharashtra or nearby states.
Over 36,000 strips of Tramadol Hydrochloride tablets worth around ₹2 crore were seized from the Nigerians at sector 27 in Kharghar during the coordinated raids at six locations by the police.
“These are anti-depressants that have been banned in our country since 2018. In Palghar, there is a company that manufactures this legally. These are banned in UAE, Australia, Africa, and some other countries, so they can’t bring strips from outside. We suspect that this is manufactured illegally either in Maharashtra or nearby states like Gujarat, Karnataka, or Goa,” said Niraj Chaudhary, police inspector, Narcotic unit.
“We have asked the FDA to investigate the location where this would be likely manufactured. The strips that we seized have no mention of manufacturing date or place,” said Chaudhary.
Meanwhile, the police have also claimed that the Nigerians arrested are extremely non-cooperative and are denying everything. “They are not revealing anything and hence, we are investigating the case further technically,” he added.
The crime branch has been assigned with technical evidence in which they are trying to trace the trail of the drugs and how it reached them through the call data record, but due to changing phones and sim cards frequently, that too is a challenge.
After raiding six places, a total of five cases were registered by the police. Two were registered with Kharghar police, one being for the possession of contraband and another under the Passport Act, one with Taloja police under the Passport Act and one each at Vashi and Koparkhairane for the possession of contraband.
From January 1 to July 31 this year, Navi Mumbai Narcotics Department arrested 12 Africans with contrabands worth ₹7.50 crore, which includes Cocaine, MD, and MDMA. In the raid conducted last week, 36 Nigerians were arrested with contrabands worth around ₹5 crore. The accused are remanded in police custody till Wednesday.
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