The police and the Drugs Control Department are working together to curb the sale and abuse of prescription drugs in Coimbatore in the wake of a major haul of tapentadol tablets in May, and recurring cases thereafter.
Coimbatore City Police Commissioner V. Balakrishnan said most of these prescription drugs, which are misused, are smuggled from Karnataka and other States.
“The regulations should be very strictly implemented in Coimbatore. We are working in coordination with the drug inspectors. As the drugs come from other States, it is difficult for them to control [the inflow]. But if someone is caught selling these tablets, immediate action is taken like cancelling their trade licence or being fined” he said.
According to data shared by the City Police, a total of 51 cases were registered with regard to illegal possession and sale of prescription drugs. As many as 97 persons were arrested. In the current year, from January 1 to June 12, the city has seen 19 such cases, resulting in the arrest of 52 people.
Mr. Balakrishnan said the trend of misusing prescription drugs such as nitrazepam and tapentadol started during the COVID-19 lockdown period when liquor was not available.
“People started looking for alternatives like drugs for a high. It is the same period when the use of ganja also increased. When the police curb the flow of ganja, they look for other alternatives”, he said.
On May 16, the city police made a major breakthrough by busting an inter-State network that has been supplying prescription drugs from Karnataka. They arrested five persons and seized 115 tapentadol tablets, three grams of methamphetamine, 10 nitrazepam tablets, syringes, and other materials. The investigation revealed that they had sold approximately one lakh tapentadol tablets, a pain reliever, at higher rates.
On Wednesday, June 12, 2024 the city police arrested three persons in two different cases for possessing nitrazepam tablets for illegal sale.
“We had a meeting with all the pharmacists here and as a result, we do not have over-the-counter sale of drugs. That is why they go to Karnataka and get it. To use these drugs, they need syringes, which are bought locally,” said the Commissioner, adding that instructions were given to pharmacies not to sell syringes without prescription.
Chairman of a Pharmacy said, “We don’t even sell paracetamol or any painkiller without prescription”.
V. Kalimuthu, manager of another pharmacy in the city, said most of the hospitals provide such tablets to their patients. “We also have stocks of these drugs, but we do not sell them without a prescription”.
Mr. Balakrishnan added that the police are in the efforts to trace suppliers in other States and cut the supply chain.
Published - June 14, 2024 08:43 pm IST
