Jammu: The Drug and Food Control Organisation (DFCO), Jammu, on Monday seized 28,800 capsules of the scheduled drug Pregabalin (300 mg), valued at around ₹10 lakh, in a crackdown on the alleged illegal trafficking of habit-forming medicines.
According to officials, the capsules, marketed under the brand name Devanyl-300, were recovered after Jhajjar Kotli Police intercepted a passenger bus travelling from Amritsar in Punjab to Katra carrying an unauthorised commercial quantity of the drug.
Acting on the information, a DFCO team headed by Assistant Drug Controller Jammu Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, along with Drug Control Officers Amit Bali and Amit Mahajan, reached the police station under the supervision of State Drugs Controller J&K Rajesh Kumar.
Officials said the team conducted an inventory and verification of the consignment. As those transporting the stock failed to produce valid drug licences, purchase invoices or authorised medical prescriptions, the entire consignment was seized.
The department said an investigation has been launched to trace the supply chain, identify the manufacturing source in Punjab and ascertain the intended distribution network in Katra and adjoining areas.
State Drugs Controller Rajesh Kumar said legal proceedings are being initiated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and warned that strict action would be taken against any individual or firm found involved in diverting scheduled medicines for non-therapeutic or illegal use.
Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), J&K, Khalid Jahangir said enforcement drives and intelligence-based inspections would continue across the Union Territory to curb illegal drug distribution and protect public health.
The Drug and Food Control Organisation has appealed to the public to report any information regarding the illegal sale, diversion, hoarding or misuse of prescription medicines to enable prompt action against violators.
