As part of a major drive against the illicit supply of controlled drugs, the Customs Department in Indore arrested three people associated with the illicit supply of more than 46,000 Alprazolam tablets. The probe identified a deeper web of grey market suppliers, stockists, and wholesalers without valid documentation.

Key Highlights

Massive Seizure of Alprazolam Tablets in March 2024

• On 19th March, 2024, Customs seized 46,200 Alprazolam tablets from one of its suppliers in Ujjain.

• The total weight of the tablets was 5.08 kg, more than 50 times the commercial quantity under the NDPS Act.

Three Arrests in the Case

• Third suspect was produced before the NDPS Court in Ujjain during the previous week and was remanded until April 22, 2025.

• Second accused, a stockist as well as wholesaler based in Bhopal, has been judicially in custody since 19th February, 2025.

Alprazolam Under NDPS Act

• Alprazolam is a prescription drug covered under the NDPS Act.

• Storage, transportation, or possession without proper documents is a cognizable offence according to law.

Criminal Trail Exposed

• Investigation has exposed a trail of stockists and distributors of the grey market.

• The authorities are still pursuing the manufacturing and supply trail of the illegal consignments.

The Indore Customs crackdown on Alprazolam smuggling has revealed a well-connected chain of illicit supply of drugs across several cities. With judicial process initiated and more investigations in motion, authorities are giving signals of no-tolerance towards abuse of psychotropic drugs in contravention of the NDPS Act.