Mundra Customs seizes Rs. 100 Cr worth illicit Narcotic Drug being exported to Africa

AHMEDABAD : Based on intelligence gathered by SIIB (Special Intelligence & Investigation Branch) of Mundra Customs, two export consignments of a Rajkot based merchant exporter destined for West African countries of Sierra Leone and Niger with declared description as Diclofenac Tab and Gebedol Tab were intercepted and examined.

While the declared item was found in the front end of the container, detailed examination revealed boxes containing undeclared medicine strips bearing marking as ‘Tramaking 225 and ‘Royal-225’ both containing Tramadol Hydrochloride Tablet 225 mg. Neither, the strips nor the boxes had any details of the Manufacturer. A total of around 68 lakh tablets of Tramadol with an International Street Price of around Rs. 110 crores were recovered by the Customs officers during the examination and have been seized. Follow-up searches are underway at Rajkot, Gandhinagar and Gandhidham.

“Tramadol”, an opioid pain medication, is a psychotropic substance and export of tramadol is restricted under section 8(c) of NDPS Act, 1985. Tramadol was notified as a psychotropic substance under the NDPS Act in 2018.

Tramadol has gained notoriety in recent times as the “Fighter Drug” after it was reported that ISIS fighters used it to stay awake for long hours. It is also reported that this synthetic opioid drug is popular and in high demand in African nations like Nigeria, Ghana, etc. This seizure by Mundra Customs is among the largest seizure of Tramadol since it was notified under the NDPS Act. Further investigation into the matter is underway.