The Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) has launched an intensive drive against the illegal storage and sale of medicines in Gujarat’s Vadodara and Surat districts, aiming to curb the misuse of intoxicating drugs and protect public health. Strict legal action has been taken against four firms in Karjan and Surat, and illegal medicines worth an estimated Rs 42.6 lakh have been seized. The licences of two firms found to have serious violations have been cancelled permanently.
Karjan raid follows NCB tip-off
Acting on specific information from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Maharashtra, an FDCA team conducted a joint raid on M/s Chamunda Pharma in Karjan. The team found an illegal stock of 13,938 bottles of ANREX (Codeine) cough syrup, which falls under the NDPS Act, and 12,240 Tramadol tablets worth Rs 50,000. Citing serious violations of the law, the firm was sealed immediately and its sales licences were cancelled permanently with effect from October 1, 2026.
A check at M/s Majisa Medical Stores, which is linked to Chamunda Pharma, turned up a stock of LOMOTIL tablets. The authorities found serious lapses, including the absence of a registered pharmacist at the premises and a non-functional medicine refrigerator. The store’s retail sales licences have also been cancelled permanently from October 5, 2026.
Surat: Online sale without licence and fraud in the name of Ayurveda
M/s Dermatics India (Varachha): A raid on October 1, 2026 revealed that medicines were being sold through a website without any valid drug licence. Stock worth Rs 11.26 lakh, including Sildenafil, Minoxidil and Ketoconazole, was seized and sent to a laboratory for testing.
M/s Kyara International (Mota Varachha): A raid on October 3, 2026 exposed the sale of allopathic medicines under the name “Sildenafil Ayurvedic” on online platforms such as Meesho. Evidence showed medicines worth Rs 3.60 lakh had been sold in the past month. As the firm’s licence had been cancelled earlier, strict legal action has been taken against it for the repeated offence.
‘Secret watch’ on online platforms
Health Minister Praful Pansheriya said: “Selling allopathic medicines in the name of Ayurveda, or selling medicines without a prescription, through e-commerce platforms such as Meesho or websites is a serious offence. A joint team of the Cyber Cell and FDCA will carry out continuous digital monitoring (‘secret watch’) of these activities. The joint action by Vadodara and Surat shows the government’s zero-tolerance policy. It will not be limited to raids. Through micro-planning, a wide public awareness campaign will also be run to protect the youth from the misuse of codeine-based cough syrup and other intoxicating drugs.”
