The intelligence wing of the Kerala drugs control department has embarked on a state-wide raids on pharmacy outlets and wholesalers stores and seized huge quantities of drugs from them for violation of Drugs and Cosmetics Act (D&C Act).

The violations committed by retailers and wholesalers include improper storage conditions, non-maintenance of sale and purchase records, lack of supervision of qualified and competent persons, sale of drugs in violation of the conditions laid down in D&C Act and Rules, etc.

This is the first major state-wide raid being conducted simultaneously on all the suspected shops across Kerala in the last five years, sources from the drug control department in the state said.

Kerala drug controller Satheesh Kumar said that the department is bracing up for initiating stringent action against the violators of the provisions of the D&C Act. He said reports are being received from various subordinate offices about the details of the raids and the operations will continue for the next two days. According to him, the raid is conducted across the state as part of a state-wide operation to trace out violations of D&C Act, 1940 and Rules, 1945. Stringent actions including suspension of licenses will be taken against all the offenders.

In Thiruvananthapuram district, the drug control officials raided Shifa Pharma, Vanchiyoor, Soorya Pharma, Vanchiyoor and in Kollam district they conducted raids on Bio Pharma, Thamarakulam. In Pathanamthitta district, the regulators carried out the operation in Shanthi Medicals, Kozhencherry, and in Kottayam district, Nelco Medicals, Gandhinagar has fallen under their net.

Inter Pharma in Alappuzha and New Udaya Medicals in Thodupuzha in Idukki are the shops raided by the respective offices of the department in those districts.

In Eranakulam, the drug control sleuths raided  Ollappillil Medicals on MG Rod and in Thrissur they raided Triglobe Medicare at Kunnamkulam, Cadas Medicals, at Veliyannoor Road and Krishna Pharmaceutica at Pazhaya Nadakkavu. In Palakkad district, Dorai Agencies and Pharma Trade, two wholesale dealers, were raided on because of various violations of drugs and cosmetics rules.

Actions were also taken against United Pharmaceuticals in Kozhikode and ByPharma at Kalpetta in Wynadu district for violations of provisions of D&C violations. Poovadi Medicals at Nilambur and A M Medicals, Downhill are the outlets raided in Malappuram. In Kannur, the operations were carried out in Deepa Drug House, Thalassery.

Drug House at Kanhangad in Kasaragod is the other major store raided by the officials for violation of D&C Act, Satheesh Kumar, said.