Spurious drugs case: Kingpin’s travel to turkey throws light on racket’s international links
Investigators have discovered that the leader of a spurious drug racket frequently traveled to Turkey to procure original pharmaceutical labels. These labels were then used to repackage counterfeit medicines as genuine products for the market.
Why it matters
The exposure of international supply chain manipulation in the pharmaceutical industry highlights critical public health risks and the need for better drug regulation.
The alleged kingpin of the spurious drugs racket, Prashanth, who is in the custody of Special Investigation Team (SIT), allegedly travelled to Turkey several times to procure original pharmaceutical labels, which were later used on counterfeit medicines, investigators have found.
The revelation has shed new light on the international links of the racket and the methods allegedly used to pass off spurious drugs as genuine medicines.
According to sources, Prashanth travelled to Turkey several times a year, reportedly in connection with obtaining original labels of a pharmaceutical company. However, his Turkey visa was cancelled on multiple occasions, following which he is suspected to have begun travelling to neighbouring countries.
Sources said the accused also travelled to several other countries, including Azerbaijan, where he was holed up before arrest.
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