Ahmedabad, June 26 (IANS) The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Friday seized 2.08 lakh Tramadol tablets with an estimated international market value of Rs 8.32 crore and arrested an alleged interstate drug trafficker from Rajasthan, saying the accused had supplied more than 62.54 lakh tablets across multiple states in just over a month.

According to officials, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) S.L. Chaudhary received intelligence that Paresh Jain, who was residing in Pardi in Valsad district and is originally from Sadri in Rajasthan, had been involved in the illegal trade of the psychotropic substance Tramadol for a considerable period.

The information was verified through technical surveillance and human intelligence after being shared with senior ATS officers.

The investigation revealed that on June 25, Jain allegedly dispatched a consignment of Tramadol tablets from Ankleshwar to Pali, Rajasthan, on an “M.R. Travels” luxury bus.

Police said the consignment was booked under the name of New Mahavir Medical using tax invoices that falsely declared the shipment as other medicines.

Acting on the intelligence, Gujarat ATS, assisted by the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch and Special Operations Group (SOG), intercepted the bus after it reached the M.R. Travels office near Namaste Circle in Shahibaug around midnight.

During the search, officers recovered six cardboard cartons containing 416 smaller boxes labelled “TRAMADOL HYDROCHLORIDE I.P. TABLETS 100 MG – SCOVIDOL-100 TABLETS”.

The cartons contained 4,160 strips, totaling 2.08 lakh tablets. Police estimated the seizure to be worth approximately Rs 8.32 crore in the international illicit market.

Investigators said Jain fled to Rajasthan after the consignment was intercepted. A second ATS team tracked him down and arrested him in Gogunda in the Udaipur district.

Police have secured seven days’ custody of the accused for further interrogation.

According to ATS, preliminary questioning has revealed that since obtaining a medical stockist licence in May, Jain allegedly procured 62.54 lakh Tramadol tablets in 25 batches and sold them in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Officers alleged that, despite holding a legitimate stockist licence, he was primarily engaged in trading Tramadol.

ATS DIG Sunil Joshi said that the seizure was the result of continuous intelligence gathering and coordination among multiple law enforcement agencies.

“Everyone is aware that both the central and state governments follow a zero-tolerance policy towards narcotics. All departments and agencies are working together to protect the country from the menace of drugs,” he said.

He added that the accused was arrested from Gogunda after fleeing Gujarat and that investigators had obtained a seven-day remand.

“Preliminary interrogation is underway,” Joshi said, adding that searches at other locations linked to the accused were planned to identify additional consignments and trace the wider supply network.

Responding to questions on the investigation, Joshi said Jain had previously been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar and Maharashtra’s Thane in separate Codeine cough syrup cases before being released on bail.

He also confirmed that the accused’s involvement had emerged in a Gujarat ATS mephedrone case registered in Vapi about a month ago, in which four people were arrested, and 2.38 kg of the drug was seized.

On the supply chain, Joshi said the Tramadol appeared to have been legally purchased from Uttarakhand at the initial stage, but was allegedly diverted through fraudulent documentation.

“We expect that the supply chain may involve additional persons in Rajasthan and other states, who may also become accused in the case,” he said.

Asked about the legal status of Tramadol, Joshi said that following a central government notification issued around 2018, possession of the drug above the notified quantity falls under the narcotics category.

“Gujarat ATS would continue the investigation and involve other agencies if required,” he added.

–IANS

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