Chennai: Man Held For Selling Prescription Drugs Hidden Inside Matchboxes

CHENNAI, 19 DEC 2018: A 28-year-old man, who runs a grocery store, was arrested on Tuesday for selling Schedule H drugs without prescriptions in St Thomas Mount.

Based on a tip-off, a police team led by St Thomas Mount inspector Valarmathi, raided his shop and seized 10 strips, each containing 10 tablets from his shop.

The man has been identified as S Abbas, a resident of Mathias Nagar in St Thomas Mount. He confessed to having procured the tablets from Mumbai through an online pharmacy. While Abbas paid 200 for each strip, he sold each tablet for 100 to 200 depending on the customers. He stuffed the tablets inside matchboxes and would sell them to customers. Many college and school students were his regular customers.

Director of drugs control K Sivabalan said, “Tydol, which is the brand name for Tapentadol, is a Schedule H drug. It’s used as a painkiller. The drug keeps people drowsy and high for at least four to six hours.ET Healthword