Barabanki, Lucknow hotspots in widening web of narco pharma seizures in UP

Lucknow, Sep 14 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a spurt in seizures of psychotropic substances over the past two years, with state capital Lucknow and its neighbouring Barabanki emerging as the epicentres of the crackdown, official data shows.

From consignments of Alprazolam running into lakhs of tablets to recoveries of Tramadol, Buprenorphine, Codeine and even raw powder used for tablet-making, officials of the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) said the seizures point to an organised illicit pharmaceutical network that has spread in parts of UP.

Such drugs are seized as illegal trade can cause dependency and addiction in some, and in worst cases overdose and death.

Alprazolam, Tramadol, Buprenorphine and Codeine are controlled under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, which empowers agencies like the CBN to intercept, seize, and prosecute offenders involved in their diversion, trafficking, or illicit manufacturing.

According to official data accessed by PTI, Barabanki has repeatedly turned up as a major hub. In 2024 alone, multiple raids led to the seizure of huge stocks of Alprazolam and NRx medicines, often in the range of 60,000 to 3.2 lakh tablets at a time.

The trend continued into 2025, with the district also recording recoveries of Alprazolam powder, indicating its use in clandestine processing and tablet manufacturing.

Lucknow, meanwhile, has emerged as the centrepiece of the state's drug seizures in 2025. A single raid on July 16 led to the recovery of over 18.47 lakh Alprazolam tablets, along with 2.19 lakh Tramadol tablets, 13,175 ampules of Buprenorphine injections, 700 Pentazocine ampules and 5,355 Codeine bottles, in the biggest such haul by the CBN in the capital yet.

"The seizures reflect the growing scale of diversion of pharmaceutical drugs and the need for continuous monitoring and crackdown, as seen in recent times," a senior officer aware of the matter told PTI.

Enforcement records also show that the problem is no longer confined to a few pockets.

In 2024, seizures were logged from Barabanki (January, April and May), and once each in Bijnor (September) and Varanasi (December).

However, the number of seizures have more than doubled till August this year only with successful raids reported twice from Barabanki (January, August), thrice from Lucknow (May, two times in July), and once each in Bareilly (February), Varanasi (June), Agra (June).

Tramadol tablets and Codeine bottles were seized from Varanasi and 1 kg of Alprazolam powder was recovered from Bareilly, suggesting a pipeline of raw material feeding into the illegal trade.

Officials point out that the nature of the seizures has also diversified. While 2024 was dominated by tablets, mostly Alprazolam and NRx, the following year saw consignments that included powders, injections and syrups.

"The variety of substances being trafficked indicates both growing demand among users and adaptability by suppliers to plug into multiple markets," the official said.

In the latest breakthrough following intelligence inputs from Madhya Pradesh, CBN's regional team nabbed a suspect from UP-Bihar border after an overnight operation on September 11-12, busting a Ketamine supplying racket allegedly linked to the poll-bound state.

Officials believe diversion from legitimate supply chains, coupled with illegal processing units, is feeding the racket.

The discovery of Alprazolam powder consignments, in particular, has triggered concern that tablet pressing is being carried out in hidden facilities within the state.

Senior officers maintain that the heightened seizures reflect "improved policing and inter-agency coordination". Yet, they concede that the sheer volume and spread of recoveries indicate that traffickers have ramped up their operations.

"Each big seizure is both a success and a warning -- it shows how much has already penetrated into the system," said another officer who was part of the crackdowns.

Officials said as Uttar Pradesh and the Centre move to tighten their monitoring of controlled medicines, the challenge for enforcing laws lie in "keeping pace with the evolving methods" of traffickers who are "increasingly diversifying" both substances and routes. PTI KIS MAN SKY SKY