The Allahabad High Court on Monday delivered a significant blow to two accused in a major interstate codeine-based cough syrup trafficking racket. The court dismissed the writ petitions filed by Sintu alias Akhilesh Prakash and Akash Maurya, who had sought to quash the FIR against them and obtain protection from arrest.
Court's Stern Stance on a Grave Crime
The bench comprising Justice Ajay Bhanot and Justice Garima Prasad rejected the pleas outright. In a strong observation, the court stated that the actions of the petitioners constituted a 'crime against society' and were of a grave nature. This dismissal underscores the judiciary's hardline approach towards narcotics offenses that have wide-reaching social consequences.
The FIR in question was registered at the Kotwali police station in Jaunpur. The accused are alleged to be key players in a sprawling illegal narcotics network operating across Uttar Pradesh and beyond.
Details of the Cross-Border Narcotics Network
Investigations reveal a sophisticated racket allegedly built on a foundation of fake companies and forged documents. The accused are suspected to be kingpins of a large-scale operation that moved codeine-laced cough syrup from stock points in Ghaziabad and Varanasi to multiple states and countries.
The alleged supply chain extended to Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Nepal, and Bangladesh. To disguise their illegal consignments as legitimate pharmaceutical shipments, the racket reportedly employed multiple shell firms. A crucial breakthrough came on October 18 during a police raid in Sonbhadra, where authorities recovered 12,000 bottles of codeine syrup cleverly hidden inside snack cartons.
Interrogations of truck drivers led investigators to understand that the confiscated consignment originated from one of the front companies linked to the accused and was routed through contacts in Ghaziabad before being moved across international borders.
Contrasting Court Decisions in Related Cases
This ruling stands in contrast to an interim order passed just last Friday by another bench of the same court. In a similar case where an FIR was lodged in Varanasi, the court had granted interim protection to two other accused. That matter has been scheduled for a hearing on December 17.
The dismissal of the petitions by Sintu and Akash Maurya signals that the courts are examining each case on its specific merits and evidence. The gravity of the allegations, which point to a high-volume, organized network, likely influenced the court's decision to deny any relief in this instance.
The case highlights the ongoing challenge of narcotics trafficking in the region, particularly the misuse of pharmaceutical products like codeine-based cough syrups, which are highly addictive.
