HYDERABAD: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which conducted searches at the residence of a city-based businessman Ashish Jain and at his pharmaceutical firm, JR Infinity Pvt Ltd in Domalguda on Thursday, busted a major international pharma drug racket that has been diverting and supplying psychotropic medicines to the US and other countries for recreational use. The NCB sleuths arrested Ashish Jain on Sunday.
NCB, which has already seized Rs 3.71 crore proceeds of drug trafficking in cash from his residence, has found that in the last two years, Jain has carried out more than 1,000 illegal diversions and shipments of drugs from India to the US as well as within the US. Investigations have so far revealed that the accused is a key player in an international pharma drug trafficking network and he has trafficked Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Alprazolam, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Clonazepam, Zolpidem and Tramadol to his international customers.
The NCB officials on Sunday informed that during their searches, they have seized several laptops, mobile phones and other electronic gadgets that were used to operate the illegal online pharmacy. A case has been registered and Jain was arrested, they added. The investigation also revealed that the employees of JR Infinity used to contact customers in the USA and other countries over email and VoIP calls and offer various pharma drugs, including those covered under NDPS Act for recreational use. When the customers agree to the product and prices being offered, the employees use to collect the customers’ details like names, shipping address and email IDs and share the payment links with them. Based on the preference of the customer, multiple payment methods were offered by JR Infinity, including account transfer, credit card, Paypal and Bitcoins.
After confirming payment by the customer, JR infinity used to illegally divert and dispatch pharma drugs to the customers in the USA and other countries. Further investigation, including a probe into digital evidence, is underway and more evidence of operations like the source of the drugs and accomplices of the prime accused in India and abroad are expected during the investigation, an official release from NCB said.