Banned India drugs smuggled into BD

Zarif Mahmud: Iscaf Syrup is manufactured by Labrate Pharmaceuticals India Limited. After being banned in India due to its extremely harmful ingredients for the human body, these drugs are being smuggled across Bangladesh border. It is being used as a dangerous drug.
Such drugs cause long-term complications in the body. Bangladesh is now a major destination for not only Iscaf syrup but also at least a dozen of banned drugs. And illegal trade of hundreds of crores of taka is going on in the border areas around these prohibited drugs.
Iscaf Syrup contains Codeine Phosphate Lignite and Chlorpheniramine as the main ingredients. Codeine phosphate lignite is mainly used in the manufacture of medicines for the relief of mild to moderate and severe pain. Due to the presence of morphine and hydrocodone in the material, there is also a fear of creating addiction in long-term use.
As a result of consumption of drugs containing codeine, several problems and side effects occur in the human body, including inflammation of the airways, bone muscle pain, lung infections. Another ingredient in this medicine, chlorpheniramine, is an antihistamine, which works by blocking the action of histamine in the body. Its side effects include dizziness, confusion, constipation, nausea, restlessness, shortness of breath and even hallucinations.
According to experts, drugs made with codeine phosphate lignite and chlorpheniramine are extremely harmful to the human body. According to them, a kind of dependence is formed on the consumption of such drugs. As a result, many people take this medicine for a long time. In some cases, it is also used as a drug.
Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry of Dhaka University Abdul Majeed said, the main ingredients of Iscaf syrup are codeine phosphate lignite and chlorpheniramine. Among them, codeine is prohibited for use in Bangladesh due to its narcotic content. Such drugs are mainly used as pain relievers. However, long-term use of such drugs has harmful effects on the human body.
According to the information of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), smugglers mostly try to smuggle stimulant drugs like Iscaf, MKDil, Cofidil, Corex, Phencidyle, Enegra and Senegra through the border area. Besides, smugglers try to supply some injections to the country’s market by crossing the border illegally.
Only in the last 10 months of this year, 69,000 bottles of iscaf syrup have been recovered during smuggling from different border areas of the country.
Only in the last 10 months of this year, 69,000 bottles of iscaf syrup have been recovered during smuggling from different border areas of the country. Such prohibited drugs are mostly tried to be smuggled through the border areas of Rangpur, Dinajpur, Comilla, Kushtia, Satkhira, Chuadanga and Phulbari.
Birampur Upazila of Dinajpur is about 15 km bordering India. There are six BGB camps for surveillance in this 15 km border area. There are a few villages here, there is no way to guess whether they are part of Bangladesh or part of India.
There is only a small canal, pond or border pillar somewhere on the India-Bangladesh border. Villages in the Indian part have barbed wire fences within 200 to 400 yards.
As a result, citizens of villages bordering India enter Bangladesh and citizens of Bangladesh border enter India freely.
Several small factories have been established in Balurghat area from Trimohini in India. A new drug named MKDil is being manufactured in these factories. This MKDIL is brought to the Heli market in India as a liquid by making jerky from inside India. Later, it was bottled at several places and smuggled to Bangladesh through about 50 dealers in India.
Among them Dutta Babu of Trimohini Bazar, his son Nepal Babu, Gopal and Mozaffar Rahman of Kalikapur village are among the dealers. These drugs are sold for Tk 1,300 to Tk 2,000 in the country’s market. However, in some cases, these prohibited drugs are sold for Tk 3 thousand.
Codeine maleide and Mancoff DX syrup, banned in India, are now being smuggled into Bangladesh. Besides, Pathedine, Buprenorphine (TD Jesic Injection), Codeine Tablets, Fermented Wash (Jawa), Buprenorphine, Itch Pill, Viagra, Sanagra, Toluene, Potassium Permanganate and Methyl-Ethyl Ketone are smuggled into Bangladesh.