BSF seizes 62,200 Phensedyl bottles, seals 3 underground tanks near Bangladesh

BSF seizes 62,200 Phensedyl bottles, seals 3 underground tanks near Bangladesh
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The Border Security Force (BSF) discovered three underground chambers, located less than 2 km from the Indo-Bangla border in West Bengal’s Nadia district, and seized 1.4 crore worth of Phensedyl cough syrup, said police on Saturday.

“At least 62,200 bottles of Phensedyl were seized. That is nearly half the amount the agency seizes in one year from bordering districts in south Bengal. In 2024, the BSF’s South Bengal Frontier seized 1,73,628 bottles of Phensedyl worth around 3.6 crore,” said a BSF officer, adding that it is suspected the seized Phensedyl was to be smuggled into Bangladesh.

The Narcotics Control Bureau is likely to probe the case, added the officer.

The three underground storage tanks, which had been concealed, were found when the BSF’s 32nd battalion and local police raided several spots near the Tungi border outpost on Friday afternoon, acting on intelligence inputs.

“Two tanks were hidden by dense vegetation, and one was built under a makeshift hut. Several boxes with Phensedyl bottles stacked in them were seized from the underground tanks. Large pits were dug, and huge iron tanks were placed in them to construct the underground chambers. The containers were at least 7 feet high and around 10 feet long,” added the officer.

Phensedyl cough syrup, which contains codeine, is regularly smuggled into Bangladesh, where it is used as an alternative to alcohol.

“The cost of one bottle of Phensedyl, which sells for around 160 in India, instantly shoots up to 300 – 500 as soon as it crosses the border. By the time the consignment reaches Dhaka, the cost of one bottle could even go up to 1,800 – 2,000. This makes the smuggling all the more lucrative,” said a senior officer of North 24 Parganas, a bordering district.

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According to a senior BSF officer, the cough syrup is legally manufactured in Himachal Pradesh, from where agents along the Indo-Bangla border in West Bengal procure it through dealers and distributors based in Varanasi and Lucknow.

“Once the consignments reach the destinations in West Bengal, they are stacked in houses in villages close to the border. Local smugglers pick up the consignments from these addresses and smuggle them out of the country. The entire consignment is disposed of within a few hours,” the senior officer told HT.

They cross the border with the hidden consignments and are called the ‘labour party’. They get around 300 – 500 to cross the international border, he added.

Source: Hindustan Times.

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