Illegal Cough Syrup Case: UP's FSDA Cancels Licence Of GR Trading In Saharanpur
Probe has revealed that the company was used for supplying illegal codeine-based cough syrups to various parts of the country and Bangladesh.
Published : December 12, 2025 at 10:37 AM IST
|Updated : December 13, 2025 at 6:52 PM IST
Lucknow/Saharanpur: Even as the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s investigation into drug mafia Vibhor Rana's hideouts entered day two, on Saturday, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) of Uttar Pradesh revoked the license of GR Trading Company.
Drug Licensing Officer Deepa Lal stated during an inspection conducted by Drug Inspector Raghavendra Singh, it came to fore that GR Trading Company has been closed for nearly a year. "The firm's operators were absconding. A notice sent by the department was also returned. The investigation revealed numerous deficiencies, leading to the cancellation of GR Trading Company's license," Lal said.
An investigation by the Special Task Force (STF) revealed that fake sales of codeine-containing cough syrup were being reported in the name of GR Trading, while the cough syrup was being supplied to Bangladeshi smugglers. The licenses were registered in Rana's name.
A case has been filed against Rana at the Sushant Golf City police station in Lucknow for fraud, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. Fake medical firms were opened in Haridwar and Delhi to conceal the smuggling, revealed the probe. Based on all the facts and the investigation report, the FSDA revoked GR Trading's license, said Lal
Earlier, ED had on Thursday launched extensive searches at multiple locations in various states as part of a money laundering investigation against an alleged illegal cough syrup trade racket in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.
The searches are covering 25 premises in Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaunpur and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, apart from those located in Ranchi and Ahmedabad, they said. The federal probe agency has booked a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to probe the alleged illegal trade.
According to ED officials, locations linked to absconding main accused Shubham Jaiswal and his alleged associates Alok Singh, Amit Singh and some others, cough syrup manufacturers, and a Chartered Accountant (CA), Vishnu Aggarwal, are being raided.
The ED action is based on about 30 UP Police FIRs that were registered after the state government took cognisance of incidents related to misuse of codeine-based cough syrups (CBCS), their illegal manufacturing, trade and transport, including across the Bangladesh border. The total proceeds of crime estimated in the case is about Rs 1,000 crore, the ED officials.
The main accused, Shubham Jaiswal, is understood to have fled to Dubai, while his father has been arrested by UP Police. A total of 32 persons have been taken into custody by the state police till now, which has constituted a SIT to probe the case, the officials said.
In Saharanpur, the agency officials inspected several properties in Shastri Nagar and Kapil Vihar as part of an ongoing probe on Friday. The searches, which began around 8 AM, were conducted at the premises linked to Abbott Healthcare Private Limited owner, and Shri Ram Sena chief Vibhor Rana, who is also accused of supplying codeine-based cough syrup.
Vibhor and his brother Vishal were arrested on November 12. The action is being carried out under the instructions of the Enforcement Directorate’s Lucknow Zonal Office. Resident of Shastri Nagar, Vibhor Rana operated a pharmaceutical firm named BN Pharmaceuticals.
According to sources, Vibhor was allegedly engaged in manufacturing and supplying banned medicines and codeine-based cough syrup. Earlier, thousands of children had reportedly fallen ill after consuming such syrup, prompting health authorities and enforcement agencies to step up action. A nationwide crackdown was launched against manufacturers and sellers of codeine syrup, following which the two brothers were taken into custody on November 12.
In Ranchi, the ED team inspected a factory located in Tupudana. The team reached the premises of Shaili Traders on Friday with several vehicles and heavy security. The agency is presently conducting its search operations inside the factory under tight security arrangements. (With PTI Inputs)
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