Under arrest: District administration seizes unregistered drugs

Officials say most of them are used to cure sexual dysfunction

PESHAWAR: The district administration has conducted a series of raids on drug stores where fake, illegal and imported drugs are being sold.

Around 290 unregistered medicines have been seized in two departmental stores in the city. A district administration official told The Express Tribune most of the drugs that have been seized are used to improve sex drive and cure dysfunction.

“The raid was carried out following public complaints,” he said. Additional Deputy Commissioner Osama Ahmad Warraich told The Express Tribune that the sale and import of these medicines is banned.



“We are compelled to take action against all those involved in selling these drugs,” he said. “Any person found guilty of selling such medicines is treated in accordance with the Drugs Act 1976.”

The complaints

According to Warraich, police had received several complaints against two departmental stores selling such drugs. However, they needed concrete evidence before they could conduct a raid.

“The district administration decided to send an undercover drug inspector to purchase these drugs,” he said. “The storeowners bought the act and sold him the drugs, upon which they were arrested and their pharmacies were sealed. We want people to realise that law is being implemented.”

Former provincial drug inspector Sabir Ali told The Express Tribune that drugs cannot be bought or sold until they are registered.

“People running such businesses could be tried for selling fake drugs,” he added

On demand

One of the drug store owners, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune the medicines were being imported on public demand.

“We sell these drugs after obtaining prescriptions from doctors,” he said. “If health experts stop prescribing these medicines, we won’t import them.”

What the law says

According to 1976 legislation, anyone who exports, imports, manufactures or sells any spurious drugs can be sent to jail for a period of between five to 10 years. Furthermore, a fine worth Rs500,000 can also be imposed on
the culprit.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th,  2015.