Inter-state pharma drug cartel busted 5 arrested

New Delhi, May 27 (PTI) The Delhi Police has busted an inter-state cartel operating across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, arresting five key traffickers and seizing over 32,000 tablets of controlled substances, an official said on Tuesday.
    The team apprehended the accused in a series of raids and seized 18,000 Tramadol tablets (1.8 kg); 7,380 Tramadol capsules (369 grams); 7,400 Nitrazepam tablets (Elza-10), and 505 Alprazolam tablets, with an estimated international market value of over Rs 5 lakh.
    Police also recovered Rs 1.85 lakh from them, said the official.
    The arrested accused have been identified as Sudhir (43), Vikas (20), Sunil Kumar Bhardwaj (50), Ajeet Kumar (32) and Ambar Agrahari (43).
    The syndicate operated using a mix of legal and illegal pharmaceutical supply channels and distributed the drugs through medical stores and courier methods, the official added.
    According to police, Sudhir is a repeat offender from Haryana and was earlier arrested by Punjab Police in a similar NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) case in 2019.
    Police said Sudhir resumed trafficking after his release in 2024. He partnered with Sunil Kumar Bhardwaj in operating two medical stores in Delhi.
     Bhardwaj, who was linked to the earlier NDPS case along with Sudhir, played a pivotal role in managing trafficking operations and sourcing drugs.
    Ajeet Kumar, an MBA graduate and a former pharmaceutical company employee, acted as the key conduit between Gorakhpur suppliers and Delhi markets.
    Agrahari, son of a wholesale medicine dealer in Gorakhpur, supplied the drugs from Uttar Pradesh and coordinated deliveries through inter-state buses. He was arrested from a hotel in Delhi's Paharganj, police said.
    The case also led to the identification of Vijay Goel, currently lodged in Agra jail in another NDPS case, as a past supplier of Nitrazepam, the officer said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)