Yogi govt cracks down on counterfeit drug trade: Fake medicines worth ₹30.77 crore seized and 68 arrested

Lucknow : Acting on the directives of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department has launched a comprehensive crackdown on the counterfeit drug trade in Uttar Pradesh. In a recent review meeting, departmental officials reported that fake medicines worth ₹30.77 crore have been seized during the financial year 2024–25.

As part of this campaign, the department conducted 1,039 raids across the state, collecting 13,848 samples. Based on the findings, licenses of 1,166 drug dealers were revoked, and 68 individuals involved in the illegal trade were arrested.

The majority of these operations were carried out in Lucknow, Agra, and Ghaziabad, where, in addition to counterfeit drugs, authorities seized oxytocin injections, narcotic substances, and fake cosmetic products.

Under CM Yogi’s guidance, the department inspected 463 drug manufacturing units, 647 blood banks, and 10,462 retail drug establishments throughout the year. Testing revealed 96 samples to be fake and 497 to be substandard, leading to further action against those involved.

The scale of the crackdown is unprecedented and marks the largest action against drug mafias in the country to date. Notably, in Lucknow, several major raids were conducted with the assistance of the STF, targeting oxytocin and counterfeit drugs. In Agra, fake medicines worth ₹1.36 crore were seized on November 5, 2024. In Ghaziabad, narcotics valued at ₹0.9 crore were recovered on February 6, 2025. In Bareilly, counterfeit cosmetic products worth ₹0.5 crore were seized in April 2025.
Furthermore, investigations are ongoing into 14 suspicious samples of adulterating allopathic medicines disguised as Ayurvedic products.

This aggressive and coordinated action is a critical step toward safeguarding public health and dismantling illegal drug networks. The government remains committed to intensifying these efforts in the future to ensure a drug-free and safe Uttar Pradesh.