Five suspected smugglers, allegedly carrying drugs imported from Afghanistan, were detained in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh in a joint operation conducted by a central investigative agency and local police, police, police sources said toady.
The value of the 'high-quality' drugs weighing one kg, whose details are not yet known, is estimated to be Rs five crore in international market, police sources said.
The five accused, two of whom hail from Kerala and the rest from Kadapa district, were taken into police custody on Wednesday and are being interrogated, a police official told PTI, adding that they have not been formally arrested yet.
According to police, the accused worked in Kuwait earlier and had come to India recently.
The operation was carried out by Rayachoty police on information provided by the central investigative agency under the supervision of Pulivendula Additional SP Anbu Rajan, sources said.
Police suspect that the drugs were smuggled from Afghanistan and the samples have been sent to experts to ascertain their details.
Local police are tight-lipped about the development.
The report said that none of the samples drawn from
airports or seaports were found to be NSQ or spurious.
"All the samples were subjected to test/analysis as per pharmacopoeial requirements in the Central and State Drug Testing Laboratories that have been accredited by NABL.
"This is the largest ever scientifically designed and professionally executed drug survey undertaken in the world for determining the quality of drugs," the health ministry statement said.
A nationwide training in drugs survey methodology was imparted at 28 centres across the country to over 1,800 Sample Drawing Officers (SDOs) and representatives of civil society and Pharmacy Council of India (PCI).
The role of civil society and PCI representatives was to observe that the drugs samples are drawn in accordance with the sampling methodology and the highest degree of transparency and objectivity is maintained in the process to eliminate any bias.
A budgetary allocation of Rs 8.5 crores was given by the Health Ministry.
"The methodology of the study covered all major therapeutic categories, highest ever number of drug molecules in any study, entire range of dosage forms dispensed through government as well as retail sources, sampled from the length and breadth of the country using a statistically designed three-stage sampling plan prepared by Indian Statistical Institute, Hyderabad," the study said.
