THE CENTRAL Investigation Bureau (CIB) today (April 17) dismantled an illegal network called “Export Tip” that used false export declaration to sell the strong painkiller Tramadol locally with this is being illegally used to mix in a drink called 4×100 for intoxication, Naewna newspaper said.
The drink 4×100 consists of Kratom leaves, cough syrup, Coca-Cola or Pepsi, and water which are boiled together to make an energy drink that is very popular among labourers and students.
Lt. Gen. Natthasak Chaowanasai, commander of the CIB, said under this operation which was mounted in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Prachinburi Provincial Public Health Office three locations in Bangkok and Prachinburi were raided and around 24,135,800 capsules of Tramadol and other strong medicines were seized, with the total value being over 80 million baht.
Tramadol, which is commonly known among teenagers as “green and yellow pills”, has been classified by the Ministry of Public Health as a controlled substance requiring a doctor’s prescription.
Officials had noticed unusual drug distribution patterns and traced them to illegal Tramadol distribution. They uncovered a network of licensed drug distributors who falsely reported export of certain medicines to neighbouring countries and instead illegally sold them at unauthorised locations and high-risk pharmacies.
The three locations that were raided are as follows:
– A warehouse in Khlong Sam Wa district, Bangkok, used for stockpiling and illegally distributing Tramadol. Seized here were 15.6 million capsules of Tramadol (trade name Comadol), 124,000 bottles of allergy and cough syrup, 4.16 million tablets of other strong painkillers, four types of nasal irrigators in repackaged form, along with raw materials and labels, and two sales documents for other dangerous drugs.
– A licensed wholesale drug dealer using a specific licence to order a group of drugs, particularly Tramadol, used to spike 4×100 drinks, but which had never actually operated, located in a commercial building in Nong Chok district, Bangkok. Seized were 4,375,800 capsules of Tramadol.
– A pharmacy in Kabin Buri district of Prachinburi claimed to have received Comadol from a licensed wholesaler, but no Comadol was found. However, the following evidence was discovered: Documents detailing the purchase of Comadol from a storage in Nong Chok district, Bangkok; sales records indicating sales to neighbouring countries; and 980 tablets of Diazepam, a Category 4 controlled substance.
This massive false reporting of drug exports distorts the supply and demand mechanism in the pharmaceutical market and could lead to patients who genuinely need the medication paying higher prices, further burdening the public during the current economic crisis.
CAPTION:
CIB police show Tramadol and other medicines they seized in the raids they mounted. Photos – Naewna
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