HYDERABAD: A 35-year-old man P Rajesh, who allegedly sold alprazolam (psychotropic medicine) to auto drivers, daily wage labourers and others was caught with 8,260 tablets on Saturday.
Rajesh used to procure the tablets from Raichur, Yadgir, Karnataka at Rs 5 a tablet and sold it anywhere between Rs 50 and Rs 100 in Hyderabad.
A sedative, if taken in excess, alprazolam can lead to death. When officials from Telangana Prohibition and Excise department caught Rajesh in LB Nagar on Friday, they seized 130 tablets from him. Thereafter, when they checked his home, they found 8,130 tablets there. Sleuths from the department said though they suspect he had a medical store, the accused has not revealed any details yet. “He used to buy the tablets for Rs 5 from Raichur and other places and sold it at Rs 50 to Rs 100 here,” said SY Qureshi, deputy commissioner of Excise (Rangareddy division), on sidelines of a press conference held on Saturday.
A drug inspector from State Drug Control Administration, C Vivekananda Reddy, said, “Sale of alprazolam is highly restricted in Telangana. In case any medical shop owner or wholesaler sells more than normal count illegally, we get to know about it when we conduct regular inspections and investigation is launched,” Vivenkananda Reddy said.
Cocaine seized elsewhere
Enforcement team from Telangana Prohibition and Excise department caught Emmanuel Ummudu (43), a Nigerian, at Jubilee Hills and seized three grams of cocaine from him. Further, he told officials that he has some more stock at his home in Rayadurgam. N Anji Reddy, assistant Excise superintendent said that the Emmanuel’s wife Leela Shiva absconded. Upon enquiry, officials got to know that the couple was involved in a cocaine case registered in March-2018 in Narsingi police station.