BSF seizes Bangladesh-bound contraband Phensedyl cough syrup worth Rs 10 million

India’s Border Security Force (BSF) has seized a huge Bangladesh-bound consignment of contraband cough syrup Phensedyl near the Tripura border.

Officials estimate Sunday’s haul to be worth over Rs 10 million.

Acting on a tip off, the BSF intelligence wing and troops of its 195 battalion along with customs and police officials intercepted three trucks at the Bodhjungnagar industrial area in the morning.

About 65,000 bottles of Phensedyl were found hidden under fruit cartons.

“It is smuggled into Bangladesh because of a huge demand there. The price will be more than one crore rupees,” said Sraban Shaurab, a customs inspector, who was a part of the search team.

No-one could be arrested.

To avoid police checkpoints, the Rajasthan and Punjab registered trucks were making a detour towards the border at Bhagalpur from where they could be smuggled into Bangladesh.

Although a bottle of Phensedyl costs less than Rs 100 in India, each bottle fetches between Tk 800 and 1,000 in Bangladesh where it is banned due to its widespread use, particularly by the youth, as a recreational drug.

BSF says it is concerned about the smuggling of contraband and drugs from India, as Bangladesh has raised this issue at various levels.

Over the past two years, the BSF has clamped down on smuggling and destroyed contraband worth several million rupees.

Four of India’s north-eastern states - Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam - share a 1,880-km border with Bangladesh, some of it unfenced and running through dense forests, making it porous and vulnerable.