Kochi: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has intensified surveillance of online platforms following a rise in cases involving the illegal sale of pharmaceutical medicines whose distribution is restricted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act due to their potential for abuse.

Authorities have found that several online platforms are advertising and selling scheduled medicines without the required documentation. In response, the NCB has begun web-based monitoring of both the internet and the dark web, working in coordination with law enforcement agencies in several foreign countries.

Investigators have identified 122 pharmaceutical medicines that are being misused for narcotic purposes. Of these, 58 are subject to sale restrictions under the NDPS Act, while four have been classified as controlled narcotic substances. These medicines are meant to be supplied only under strict regulation and, in emergency cases, against a valid doctor's prescription. However, officials found that they were being sold through online platforms without complying with legal requirements.

The NCB had uncovered an organised network involved in the illegal trade of restricted medicines a few months ago. With assistance from overseas drug enforcement agencies, authorities dismantled a syndicate that had been supplying medicines across Asia, North America, Europe and Australia.

The group had allegedly operated an illegal call centre in Udupi, Karnataka, and sold controlled medicines globally through certain online business-to-business (B2B) platforms. It reportedly advertised details of restricted medicines on websites to attract buyers. Officials said growing instances of such operations prompted the bureau to strengthen its online monitoring.

The misuse of pharmaceutical medicines for intoxication has also increased sharply across India, according to official data.

Enforcement agencies seized 4.69 crore pharmaceutical tablets from different parts of the country in 2024 alone, nearly three times the quantity recovered in 2023.

'Operation Wipe'

To curb the illegal online trade, the NCB has launched 'Operation WIPE' ((Web-based Illicit Activities Prevention & Enforcement), a dedicated initiative targeting the online sale of pharmaceutical drugs used for narcotic purposes.

The bureau's technical teams are monitoring online platforms using intelligence shared through a platform operated by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). The operation is also being supported by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).