Latest news with #Buprenorphine
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Time of India
Five acquitted in drugs case after 21-year trial
Mumbai: In a judgment delivered after a 21-year trial, a special NDPS court acquitted five individuals accused in two interconnected NDPS cases, citing the prosecution's failure to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. The accused, Mohammed Omar Mistry, Dharmendra Saroj, Uday Raj Yadav, Atiq-Ur-Rehman, and Shiraj Panjwani, were booked for possession, transportation, import or export, and criminal conspiracy related to 20,000 Buprenorphine ampules. The drugs were allegedly being sold for non-medical purposes. "As earlier discussed, the prosecution failed to connect the accused with the seized contraband… The entire evidence of prosecution did not tie all accused in one rope. There is no evidence in the form of WhatsApp chat, CDR, and monetary bank transactions to prove the conspiracy. Thus, prosecution fails to prove the guilt of the accused," Special Judge Mahesh K Jadhav said last week. The judge noted that while Buprenorphine ampule injections were allegedly recovered, the prosecution failed to conclusively prove that the samples sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) were not tampered with. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo A key prosecution witness admitted having undocumented access to the samples and office seals, raising serious doubts about the integrity of the evidence. The accused were out on bail. It was the prosecution's case that on April 1, 2004, officers from the Narcotic Cell of the Customs Preventive Collectorate intercepted a taxi near JJ Hospital, seizing approximately 20,000 ampules of Buprenorphine, a controlled psychotropic substance. The operation followed a tip-off regarding the illicit trafficking of the drug. According to officials, intelligence received by an officer indicated that Mohammed Omar Mistry and his associate, Lala Rambhai, were involved in transporting commercial quantities of Buprenorphine without proper documentation from New Delhi. The information specified that on April 1, 2004, four packages containing a large quantity of Buprenorphine ampules would be transported in a taxi with a particular number, from Lamington Road, to a roadside spot opposite JJ Hospital around 1.30 pm. Acting on the intelligence, a team of officers proceeded to the designated location. As surveillance continued, the officers spotted the taxi, matching the description, approaching the hotel with white-coloured boxes loaded on its carrier. In the presence of the panch witnesses, the taxi containing the packages was intercepted.
Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Indian Express
21 years on, five acquitted in drugs case; court says possibility of tampering cannot be ruled out
Over 21 years of being booked in a case of possessing alleged banned drugs, a special court in Mumbai acquitted five men for lack of evidence. Among the grounds on which the court acquitted the men was that given that the seized material was also readily available with chemists in the market, hence the possibility of tampering could not be ruled out as proper search and seizure procedure was not followed. The case dates back to 2004 when officials of the Customs department received information that two men were likely to transport a large quantity of Buprenorphine, a controlled substance, which if taken in high doses can lead to drug addiction and abuse. The information was the men would be traveling in a taxi near J J Hospital. The officials with two panch witnesses, who work as independent witnesses to note if all procedure is followed, went to the spot. A search of the taxi revealed a parcel of four packages of Buprenorphine, each containing 5,000 ampules. The officials said as it was a busy street and the inventory could not be properly carried out, they took the taxi to Ballard Estate. The officials said the passenger in the taxi, accused Mohammed Omar Mistry, owned the package, but did not have any licence, document or invoice to show he had legal permission to have such a large quantity of the controlled substance with him. Mistry and co-passenger Dharmendra Saroj were arrested and, based on their questioning and other evidence, three others, namely Atiq ur Rahman, Uday Raj Yadav and Siraj Panjwani were arrested for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to procure, possess and transport the drug. The court heard that there was nothing to show the ampules were from a pharmaceutical company as they did not have any such marking and proper procedure was not followed as was mandatory under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Special Judge Mahesh Jadhav said documentary evidence and witness deposition showed the seized material's whereabouts from April 1, 2004 to the next day, when it was sent for analysis, was not known. 'The cross-examination (of witnesses) reflects that the seized material in the form of a pharmaceutical substance was easily available with the chemist in the market in the same form. Considering the background of the case that the sample was not drawn before the magistrate and sample was not drawn on the spot and the same form of a pharmaceutical substance of the material seized is easily availed in the market, the possibility cannot be ruled out about the tampering with the sample,' the court said in its order passed on May 19, made available on Saturday. The court also said that there were other discrepancies like not examining the taxi driver.
Glasgow Times
24-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow woman caught smuggling cocaine into Barlinnie
Sarah Dempster went to the East End jail on the afternoon of December 29, 2022 to visit William Dempster. During the visit, a prison officer's attention was drawn to the table where they were sitting because the pair were moving suspiciously and looking around the room. Employees monitoring CCTV saw the 37-year-old woman take an item from her clothes and pass it to the inmate. A worker went to the table and the prisoner was taken for a body search. 0.7g of cocaine was found on him, worth £20-50, along with white tablets later identified as Buprenorphine. The visitor was arrested. READ NEXT: Wounded man threw hot chocolate at attacker after being slashed with knife Ms Dempster appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court earlier this week after she pleaded guilty to taking the substances into the prison. Her lawyer explained: "These are quite clearly very serious offences, she accepts that. "She was married to Mr Dempster and he was imprisoned at Barlinnie. "She has Bipolar Disorder and she said her mental health was particularly poor at that time. "Threats were made to her and her husband. She does not remember collecting the packets but she knows it was not a good decision." Sheriff Jonathan Guy replied: "It's a very serious offence. "Taking drugs into prison puts them into the system. The court has to take it seriously. The sentence needs to signal society's disapproval." Ms Dempster was sentenced to one year of supervision and tagged for eight months, forcing her to stay at home between 9am and 6am each day.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
As New York sees historic decrease in drug-related deaths, concerns rise on possible federal cuts
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – New York is seeing a historic decrease in reported drug overdose deaths. With threats of looming cuts at the federal level by President Trump's administration, local leaders that specialize in drug recovery and treatment services are sharing their concerns. Recent reporting from the CDC shows New York saw a 32 percent decrease in drug-related deaths in 2024 compared to previous rates in 2023. According to the CDC, approximately 77 percent of those deaths involved an opioid, such as heroin or fentanyl. 'I think we don't really know all the reasons why we see this dramatic decrease. We do know there have been several programs that have taken up more traction. Some of that is the overdose prevention education that the Rochester community and the country have invested in as well as the Naloxone distribution. It's also education around safer opioid prescribing practices, and access to medication like Buprenorphine and Methadone,' said Dr. Sarah Bolduc, chief medical officer for Trillium Health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, drug overdose deaths surged to record levels. With the recent decline comes concern surrounding the uncertainty for continued supports from the federal government. Leaders with Rochester-based Trillium Health and Common Ground Health both say it could put programs backed by those federal dollars in jeopardy nationwide. 'There will be no treatment services available for people who want to get into treatment. There will be no funds to continue the prevention education piece of this, which is very important in our communities. We must keep doing the work until we're told we can't do it anymore,' said Jackie Dozier, director of community health and well-being for Common Ground Health. As both local agencies continue to work to meet the needs of the community, leaders say they are bracing for any possible changes in the future. 'I think we will continue to see more deaths and see less of a decline if we have less programming and support economically for this programming in the community. We believe it's correlated. We know that things like Naloxone work, and having more ready-access and people carrying it just so they can potentially help somebody that's potentially struggling on the street, I think that's very important and all of that takes funds,' said Dr. Bolduc. Last week, hundreds of national researchers and health care providers issued a letter to Congress warning about the 'dire consequences' budget cuts would present for substance use and mental health programs in the U.S., specifically in overdose prevention. More information from New York State on the CDC's latest report can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hindustan Times
19-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
PCMC launches probe against staff linked to illegal bungalow construction in Chikhali
Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh plans to involve private psychiatrists in government deaddiction centres, offering ₹ 1,500 per hour for two-hour daily consultations. The initiative aims to reduce patient load, improve care quality, and expand Buprenorphine treatment access.
