BHUBANESWAR: The sleuths of Narcotics Department seized about 2100 codeine phosphate syrup bottles from a courier office at Buddheswari Colony in the Capital on Wednesday night. Acting on a tip-off, the sleuths visited the courier office and found the consignment of codeine phosphate syrup bottles which was sent from New Delhi.
The sleuths suspect that the syrup bottles, each of 100 ml, were being smuggled to the State, and a part of the consigment would have possibly been sent to Bangladesh via Kolkata. While the maximum retail price of each syrup bottle is `127.50, it is sold at double the price illegally.
“An inter-State racket is involved in illegal trade of the syrup bottles and investigation is on to arrest all the criminals involved,” Narcotics department sleuths said. The sleuths seized the syrup bottles after they did not find the required documents, including the sales invoice.
The courier office staff maintained that were not aware about the syrup and informed the Narcotics department that in the past too they had received at least two such consignments. Sources said, the courier office’s head is absconding after the incident.
In August, at least 5,040 codeine-laced cough syrup bottles were seized and three persons arrested by Sambalpur Police while the contraband was being transported from Chhattisgarh to Bhubaneswar in a private bus.