Wholesaler with drug meant for defence sector booked in Pune

PUNE: Officials of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday found one more drug wholesaler in the city involved in purchase and sale of medicines exclusively meant for the defence sector.

With this, the number of drug traders found to be involved in the illegal trade in Pune has gone up to seven in the past 15 days. The officials seized drug stock worth Rs3.46 lakh, mainly comprising imported anti-diabetes and anti-hypertensive tablets meant for defence personnel, during this period.

“We filed the first information report (FIR) against a drug wholesaler and his chemist in Sadashiv Peth on February 25 for purchasing and selling the drug meant for defence sector using bogus bills,” said S B Patil, joint commissioner (drug), FDA, Pune. The first FIR in this regard was filed in the city on February 16 when officials seized the stock from the four drug wholesalers in Erandwane and Wanowrie. The second FIR was filed against a wholesaler in Ghorpadigaon on February 19 for his involvement in the illegal trade of the drug in open market. 

According to officials, the search and seizure operations, which began early this month in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, will continue in Pune and more premises are likely to be searched in the next few days.

“The traders, who diverted the stock to the open market, removed the marking ‘For Defence, Not for sale’ on the drug strips and boxes with some chemical. We are now tracking the trader who managed to get the stock and diverted it to the open market,” Patil said.

The association of drug wholesalers and retailers have boycotted wholesalers who got the stock meant for the defence personnel. Sushil Shah, president, Chemist Association of Pune District, said, “We have asked retailers to purchase medicines only from authorised dealers.” Times Of India.