Drugs made in Amritsar make their way to ISIS, as millions of tramadol tablets
Italy’s police seized 24 million tramadol tablets, manufactured in Amritsar for a Dubai-based company. The tablets were seized at one of the country’s ports on Saturday. The consignment was diverted mid-sea for Islamic State militants to fund their terror activities. Indian and US agencies are investigating the matter. Tramadol, an opiod (narcotic) pain medication, is said to be in high demand among jihadists who call it a “fighter drug” for its ability to lull pain and fatigue, claim Intelligence sources. Taking the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) at Chandigarh, Central agencies have asked it to inspect two Amritsar-based firms making the painkiller that sent two consignments to Dubai recently. There have been reports of the tablets being illegally manufactured and distributed during the Assembly elections in Punjab with eight lakh seized during the campaign period. Tramadol is not on the list of drugs banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and so the action against the firms has not been taken as yet. Kaustubh Sharma, Zonal Director, NCB, said the export orders of the two Amritsar firms had been found in order. “We are verifying if the consignments reached the listed destinations. The third consignment stopped at one of the ports is being verified,” he said. As per Intelligence sources and media reports in Italy, the 24 million tablets seized are valued at 50 million euros in the international market. Manufactured at a low cost, the tablet is sold for Rs 3 in India. In May this year, 37 million tramadol tablets were seized in Genoa, Italy. These were packed in containers labelled as “blankets and toiletries”. Their origin was traced to an Indian pharmaceutical company. -PTC News
