Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, April 24 

Authorities in south Kashmir’s Shopian district have intensified surveillance of courier services amid concerns over the illegal distribution of prescription medicines, officials said on Friday, as part of a broader crackdown on drug abuse and pharmaceutical violations.

The Drugs and Food Control Organisation said certain medicines, including those requiring prescriptions, may be reaching consumers without proper authorisation through courier channels.

Assistant Drug Controller Humaira Shawl said inspection teams were being deployed to courier offices to monitor the movement of drugs prone to misuse.

“The aim is to curb any drugs being sent through couriers that could be misused or abused,” she said.

The increased scrutiny follows a year of stepped-up enforcement across the district. 

Since April 2025, authorities have conducted hundreds of inspections to ensure compliance with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and related regulations governing the sale and distribution of medicines.

Officials said multiple drug samples collected from retail outlets were sent for laboratory testing, with a small number found to be below standard quality. 

Medicines worth more than Rs 2 lakh were seized in connection with violations.

Regulators have also taken action against non-compliant businesses, cancelling at least 18 licences and suspending 33 others for breaches such as failure to maintain records for prescription drugs, particularly those with addiction risks.

One licence was revoked for stocking excessive quantities of medicines susceptible to abuse without proper documentation, officials said.

Authorities said the use of courier services to distribute drugs presents a new challenge by potentially bypassing traditional pharmacy checks. 

Monitoring systems are being strengthened to track suspicious consignments and ensure only licensed entities are involved in pharmaceutical distribution.

Officials said that measures such as full CCTV coverage in medical shops and the adoption of computerised billing systems have been pushed across the district, with near-total compliance reported to improve transparency and traceability.