TG SAFE raids medical shops over illegal sale of habit‑forming drugs

The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) – Drugs Wing conducted statewide raids on medical shops to curb the illegal sale of habit-forming drugs. Violations were detected in 158 shops, leading to Show Cause Notices for possible suspension or cancellation of licences.

Hyderabad: Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) – Drugs Wing, as part of a special drive to curb the illegal sale of habit-forming drugs, conducted raids at medical shops across the State on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.

The raids were conducted at several retail medical shops across the state, focusing on detecting the illegal sale of habit-forming drugs, including Tramadol tablets, Pregabalin containing formulations, Nitrazepam tablets, Alprazolam tablets, Tapentadol tablets, Codeine- containing cough syrups, Zolpidem tablets among others.

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Discrepancies were detected in 158 medical shops during the raids, and Show Cause Notices were issued for initiating departmental action, including suspension / cancellation of drug licences.

The officers detected several violations related to the indiscriminate sale of habit-forming drugs, including the sale of such drugs without a prescription from a Registered Medical Practitioner.

They also detected instances of sale of drugs without issuing bills, non-maintenance of, and failure to produce sales bills, failure to maintain prescription drug registers and Schedule H1 drug registers and dispensing of prescription drugs in the absence of a registered pharmacist among others.

“Prescription medicines, including Schedule H, Schedule H1, and Schedule X drugs, shall mandatorily be sold only against a valid prescription issued by a Registered Medical Practitioner. Any illegal sale, diversion, or distribution of such prescription medicines for non-therapeutic or abusive purposes constitutes a serious violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Rules thereunder, and shall be dealt with strictly,” TG-SAFE (Drugs Wing) said.