Rs 2,000 crore drug haul leads to bad blood in FDA

MUMBAI: In probably the first such action, a top Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official has written to the state government and the Narcotics Control Bureau recommending that seven of its own officers, including the drug controller of Maharashtra and three joint commissioners, be charged under the stringent Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act for dereliction of duty in the Rs 2,000 crore ephedrine drug haul.

The move has created ripples in the organization, dividing the drug regulatory body like never before.

In April this year, the Thane crime branch busted what they claimed was one of the country's biggest drug rackets. They found that the controlled substance ephedrine and its salts were stolen out of the premises of Avon Life Sciences, Solapur, and sold in the illegal drug market after purification. The FDA's vigilance department had subsequently carried out three inspections of the factory and found 28 violations under the NDPS as well as the Drug and Cosmetics Act.

Additionally, the vigilance team under joint commissioner (vigilance) Harish Baijal indicted the FDA officials—right from the drug inspectors to joint commissioners—on various counts.

Baijal's team, comprising assistant commissoner Madhuri Pawar and drugs inspectors Sachin Kamle and Abasaheb Raskar, found that the officials were negligent of not carrying out timely inspections of Avon premises, granting fresh licences without thorough record-checking and failing to prosecute the company for breaches. Around 21,500 kg of DL ephedrine base was illegally sold to two smaller companies without permission.

Based on the findings, Baijal recommended that seven officials be charged under Section 59 of the NDPS Act, applicable to an officer who stops performing his roles or withdraws from duties. If charged, the FDA officials could face a jail term of up to one year. The report said there was a total failure of regulatory mechanism in narcotics control and blamed officials for facilitating commission of offence by drug dealers.