Lucknow — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday carried out large-scale searches at 25 locations across Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Gujarat as part of its probe into an alleged illegal cough-syrup trafficking network. The raids began at 7:30 am and targeted premises linked to key accused Shubham Jaiswal and his associates.
Officials said the searches covered properties connected to Jaiswal, his aides Alok Singh and Amit Singh, and multiple pharmaceutical manufacturers suspected of diverting codeine-based cough syrups for unlawful distribution. The residence and office of chartered accountant Vishnu Aggarwal were also searched as part of the investigation.
The ED action follows a major seizure by Varanasi Police on December 10, when nearly 30,000 bottles of banned codeine-laced cough syrup worth around ₹60 lakh were recovered from a godown in the city. The warehouse was allegedly linked to Manoj Kumar Yadav, described by officers as a close associate of Jaiswal. Two suspects were arrested during the operation.
DCP Crime Varanasi, Saravanan Thangamani, said the police commissionerate had intensified action against illegal trading of codeine-based cough syrups and suspected large-scale storage at the godown. He confirmed that the seized consignment had an estimated market value of ₹60 lakh.
Jaiswal, who is accused in multiple cases in Varanasi and Ghaziabad, has moved court seeking quashing of the FIR and a stay on his arrest. The latest case was registered under the NDPS Act on November 15 at Varanasi’s Kotwali police station, naming Jaiswal, his father Bhola Prasad Jaiswal, and 28 others for alleged involvement in trafficking banned cough syrup.
