Illegal export of pharma drugs is big business

MUMBAII: Taking advantage of the fact that export of over-thecounter pharmaceutical drugs is highly profitable and safer than peddling narcotics, former drug peddler Neelesh Shukla makes ₹5-6 crore a year, say police.

On August 26, Shukla, 38, and two of his associates were arrested in connection with the murder of police informer Avinash Bali alias Solanki. As details of Bali’s murder remain shrouded in mystery, Shukla’s story is an interesting study in the case of how the scam is thriving in the city.

Shukla moved to Mumbai from Uttar Pradesh. In the years leading up to his ascent as one of the key players in the narcotic trade, he was arrested multiple times in various cases.

In 2011, Shukla was arrested by the Anti-narcotics Cell. While in jail, Shukla came in contact with a fraudster who taught him the “low-risk, highprofit” business of exporting scheduled and over-the-counter drugs, said a source. “The idea was too tempting as the business meant no police hassle,” sources said.

Once he was out on bail in 2013, Shukla managed to obtain a licence, in his father’s and wife’s name, from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowing him to stock and supply pharmaceutical medicines.

He then opened his shop at the Apollo Industrial Estate in Andheri (East).

“He entered into agreements with buyers in the USA and UK and began exporting over-thecounter drugs to these countries. The illegal trade was run under the garb of exporting homeopathy drug and plant feed. He primarily exported morphines,” said a source. “For instance, a strip of tablets purchased for ₹3 was exported for ₹100.”