NCB Freezes Assets Worth ₹20.10 Crore in Major Pharma Drug Diversion Case

Chandigarh, November 1 (Daily Kiran) : The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has made significant strides in an interstate pharmaceutical drug diversion case, confirming the freezing of 25 assets valued at approximately ₹20.10 crore. This decision was upheld by a competent authority in New Delhi on October 30, following an initial freezing order issued by the NCB on October 2 under Section 68F(2) of the NDPS Act, 1985.

Investigations revealed that the proceeds from the illegal sale of diverted drugs were funneled through various company bank accounts in an attempt to legitimize the funds. The accused were unable to provide valid sources of income for the purchase of these assets.

The frozen assets include industrial plots, commercial units, shop-office units, and residential flats. Notable properties are located in Mohali’s Gilco Industrial Park, Mohali City Center-3, Mohali City Center Walk, Janata Industrial Estate, Galaxy Heights-2, and Queenstown. Following the freezing order, any sale, transfer, or transaction involving these properties is prohibited.

The NCB emphasized that its strategy extends beyond merely seizing drugs; it aims to financially cripple the trafficking network. The agency is conducting parallel investigations into the drug supply chain and related financial transactions to reach manufacturers, distributors, shell companies, and financial facilitators.

This case initially emerged on February 7, 2025, when 5,000 tramadol tablets were seized in Amritsar. The packaging identified the manufacturer as M/S J.R. Pharmaceuticals from Haridwar and the marketer as M/S Tiwari Medical Agencies from Dehradun.

Further investigations revealed that the marketing company did not exist. The NCB’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) then probed the supply chain, uncovering an interstate network involving several pharmaceutical companies from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh that were illegally distributing drugs through fictitious entities.

To date, approximately 3.4 million psychotropic tablets, 1.057 million bottles of codeine-based cough syrup, 50,000 tramadol ampoules, 5,000 midazolam vials, and nearly 2,200 kilograms of psychotropic powder (including raw materials and finished products) have been seized.

Seventeen individuals have been arrested in connection with this network, which has been traced across seven states, including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh. Significant quantities of psychotropic drugs and raw materials were also recovered from M/S Digital Vision and M/S Velinton Healthcare in Kala Amb, Himachal Pradesh.

Notably, Konik Goyal, Manik Goyal, and their father, Parshottam Lal Goyal, residents of Ambala Cantt in Haryana, remain fugitives despite multiple summons and non-bailable warrants issued against them. Their anticipatory bail applications have been rejected by the Supreme Court. The frozen assets also include properties registered in their names and those of their relatives.

The NCB has urged citizens to report any information related to drug trafficking to the National Narcotics Helpline at 1933, assuring that the identity of informants will be kept completely confidential.