The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) seized counterfeit, expired, and illegally stocked medicines valued at more than Rs 3.63 crore in Agra, according to an official statement released on Saturday.
Operation Details and Seizures
The six-day operation was conducted in two phases: from May 22 to May 24 and June 12 to June 14. During this period, authorities sealed eight illegal warehouses and registered six First Information Reports (FIRs). The action targeted the sale and storage of counterfeit medicines, physician samples, government-supplied drugs, and expired pharmaceuticals.
Led by FSDA commissioner Roshan Jacob, teams comprising 25 drug inspectors raided over 20 drug firms, 12 warehouses, and several residential premises across key pharmaceutical trading hubs, including Khatri Gali, Fawwara, Sanjay Place, Kamla Nagar, Jhulelal Market, and Dayalbagh.
Interstate Network Exposed
Investigations revealed an interstate network involved in the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit medicines. One major case involved the fake production and supply of a medicine marketed as 'Oxalgin DP', with the probe extending from Agra to Aligarh and Roorkee in Uttarakhand.
Drugs worth Rs 2.5 crore were recovered from two warehouses linked to a wholesale drug firm in Jhulelal Market. Authorities found medicines marked “Physician Sample - Not For Sale”, government and defence supply drugs, and temperature-sensitive vaccines stored without proper cold-chain facilities.
Second Phase Operations
In the second phase, officials detected warehouses with cancelled or invalid licences. Stocks of physician samples, government-supplied medicines, and expired drugs were seized from multiple locations.
