Excise officials seize 102 bottles of banned cough syrup, arrest one

The Rangareddy excise enforcement team arrested a man and seized  102 codeine phosphate cough syrup bottles from him on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement

A duo was booked by the Excise enforcement officials in Rangareddy district for selling ‘intoxicating cough syrup’. One of the accused, identified as Moosam Lakshman, was arrested from Manda Mallamma crossroads in Kothapet while he was going on a bike after purchasing 102 codeine phosphate cough syrup bottles.

The case came to light on Thursday, when authorities discovered that some individuals, unable to obtain drugs like ganja or MDMA, were consuming banned codeine phosphate cough syrups to get intoxicated. Investigations revealed that Lakshman was storing the syrup at his residence and selling it at ₹350 per bottle, while the maximum retail price of the bottle is ₹190.

The drugs authority has long prohibited the sale of codeine phosphate syrup without a doctor’s prescription, but illicit manufacturing and distribution continue to pose a risk. Authorities noted that addicts, unable to afford cannabis or MDMA, have turned to such syrups to achieve intoxication. A packet of intoxicating cannabis costs approximately ₹500, while one gram of MDMA is valued at ₹5,000.

The Excise officials have requested the Drugs Control Administration to initiate action against medical outlets selling banned cough syrups.

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Published – August 28, 2025 06:58 pm IST

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