Three Held in Chennai for Stockpiling Drug Tablets for Overseas Smuggling; Over 55,000 Tablets Seized

Chennai: Three men were arrested in Triplicane after police unearthed an illegal network involved in procuring and stockpiling prescription pain-relief and sedative tablets for smuggling to foreign countries.

Police seized 55,280 tablets during the operation and remanded the accused in judicial custody. Police said the accused were couriering the tablets from Delhi to Chennai, from where they were prepared for shipment to foreign countries through concealed consignments.Anti-Narcotics Intelligence Unit (ANIU) officers monitored the movements of a suspect from Vyasarpadi for nearly a month, during which they learned that a parcel containing a large quantity of restricted tablets was delivered by a private courier company to a receiver in Triplicane.Acting on the information, ANIU and Triplicane police on Tuesday intercepted and searched three men found in possession of the tablets at Pachaiyappan Street. The arrested accused were identified as Syed Abu Dahir, 50, of Vyasarpadi, Mohamed Rathees, 44, of Chepauk, and Mujahideen, 31, of Triplicane. Police seized a total of 55,280 tablets and registered a case.Investigations revealed that Mujahideen assisted in arranging the transport of the tablets to foreign countries. Police said he operated under the cover of a textile business and concealed the tablets within clothing consignments destined for overseas pharmacies.