'Andhra-Telangana Drug Traders' Nexus': Illegal Pill Trade Flourishes From Palnadu to Nalgonda
Although strict rules mandate that narcotic pills and cough syrups should only be sold under a doctor’s prescription, some traders are blatantly violating the law.
Published : November 12, 2025 at 6:54 PM IST
Macharla: The activities of illegal drug peddlers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana continue to raise serious concerns. In a latest incident, two persons from Telangana were arrested after purchasing narcotic pills from Veerabhadra Medical Store in Karampudi, Palnadu district.
The police also detained the store manager who sold the drugs. Investigations revealed that the accused were selling these pills at high prices to people addicted to narcotics.
According to police records, such incidents are not new in the region. About a year ago, another medical store manager was caught selling sleeping pills in bulk to an RMP doctor from Pedakodamagundla, who later supplied them to people in Telangana. Both were arrested. Four months ago, police in Nalgonda district seized similar drugs from local peddlers, who confessed to buying them from a drug store in Piduguralla.
Although strict rules mandate that narcotic pills and cough syrups should only be sold under a doctor’s prescription, some traders are blatantly violating the law. Reports suggest that several people from Macherla, Dachepalli, Karampudi, and Piduguralla are purchasing such drugs and transporting them to Telangana to earn easy money. Most of the demand is reportedly coming from the Nalgonda and Miryalaguda areas.
Despite the ban, these medicines continue to be sold freely. Once money is paid to them, sellers allegedly provide as many boxes of narcotics as requested. In recent police checks in Telangana, up to 10 boxes of narcotic pills were seized from individuals, highlighting the growing scale of the illegal trade.
Drug inspectors conduct only annual inspections, mostly limited to license verification. Many medical stores are said to be operating with rented pharmacy licenses.
“We found that most of the narcotic pill sales happened at Veerabhadra Medicals in Karampudi. Other shops had no such records. The store is now closed after the arrest of its owner,” said Mangamma, drug inspector, Piduguralla.
