UP: ₹1000 Cr Cough Syrup Racket Exposed; ED Probes, Accused's Assets Seized

• Illegal trade of codeine-based cough syrup, estimated at thousands of crores, spans from UP to West Bengal and Bangladesh.
• Key brands involved in the illicit trade include Phensedyl, Scuf, and Onerex cough syrups.
• Recent raids in Varanasi led to the seizure of large quantities of Scuf cough syrup, including 75,000 bottles from a paint warehouse.
• Police are investigating a network of individuals, including Shubham Jaiswal, Prashant Upadhyay, and others, involved in the illegal business.
• Authorities are initiating NBW proceedings against main accused Shubham Jaiswal, with plans to declare him a fugitive and attach his property; the ED is also investigating.

Why It Matters: Massive illegal cough syrup trade worth thousands of crores exposed, prompting police and ED action.