Hyderabad: Officials from the Drugs Control Administration (DCA) busted a drug racket in the Old City of Hyderabad in raids on Wednesday, May 8. Acting on credible information, DCA officials raided different areas in the Charminar area along with the police and held one resident who was selling Tydol 100 tablets illegally to youngsters.
DCA officers found that Arshad Khan, a resident Aman Nagar A, Yakutpura, was illegally selling Tydol 100 tablets (Tapentadol tablets 100 mg) at the Charminar Bus Stand parking area, New Shahalibanda Road. Officers seized 400 tablets of Tydol 100 tablets during the raid. The total worth of the stocks seized was Rs. 23,000, said V B Kamalasan Reddy, director general of DCA.
Tapentadol is a centrally acting opioid analgesic used for the management of moderate to severe pain for both acute (following injury, surgery, etc.) and chronic musculoskeletal pain. It works by acting on the opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, thereby altering the way the body perceives and responds to pain, stated Kamalasan Reddy. Due to its potential for abuse and addiction, Tapentadol has been classified as a Schedule H1 drug under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
Arshad Khan, who was selling the drug in the Charminar area, does not possess any drug licence and was illegally selling the habit-forming drug Tapentadol addicts, stated the DCA in a release.
Schedule H1 drugs are those that have a high potential for abuse or indiscriminate use and are subject to stricter regulations regarding their sale, said Kamalasan Reddy. The inclusion of ‘Tapentadol’ in Schedule H1 means that it can only be sold by retail pharmacies with a prescription from a registered medical practitioner, he added.
T. Rajamouli, Assistant Director, Hyderabad zone, B. Lakshmi, Drugs Inspector, Charminar and S. Naveen, sub-inspector of police, Hussaini Alam police station were among the officers who carried out the raid. Further investigation will be carried out, and action will be taken as per the law against all the offenders, stated the DCA.
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