The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Friday seized 2.08 lakh Tramadol Hydrochloride tablets, valued at approximately Rs 8.32 crore in the international market, and arrested an alleged drug trafficker from Rajasthan in a major crackdown on the illegal psychotropic drug trade.
According to an official statement, acting on specific intelligence, the ATS learnt that Paresh Parsmal Jain, a resident of Pardi in Valsad originally from Sadri in Rajasthan, had allegedly been illegally trafficking Tramadol for a prolonged period. The ATS developed the intelligence using technical surveillance and human sources, which revealed that on June 25, the accused had dispatched the consignment from Ankleshwar to Pali, Rajasthan, through an MR Travels luxury bus.
According to investigators, the shipment was concealed under a tax invoice issued in the name of New Mahavir Medical, with the Tramadol allegedly disguised as other medicines. Under the supervision of ATS SP K Siddharth and led by Dy SP SL Chaudhary, multiple ATS teams, assisted by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch and SOG, intercepted the bus near Namaste Circle, Shahibaug.
During the search, officers recovered six cartons containing 416 smaller boxes, all labelled "Tramadol Hydrochloride LP Tablets 100 mg (SCOVIDOL-100)." The consignment comprised 4,160 strips containing a total of 2,08,000 tablets, which were seized.
Police said the accused had fled to Rajasthan after dispatching the consignment. An ATS team tracked him down and arrested him from Gogunda in Udaipur district.
During interrogation, Jain allegedly disclosed that since May 2026, he had procured 62.54 lakh Tramadol tablets in 25 consignments and sold them across Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Investigators said he obtained a medical stockist licence in May 2026 and allegedly used it primarily to trade in Tramadol.
The ATS further revealed that Jain had previously been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Haridwar (Uttarakhand) and Thane (Maharashtra) in connection with Codeine cough syrup cases.
Investigators have also found his alleged links to a Vapi Mephedrone seizure made by the Gujarat ATS last month, in which four accused were arrested with 2.38 kg of Mephedrone. Further investigation is underway to identify the wider supply network and trace additional beneficiaries of the illegal drug trade.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
