Authorities have uncovered a clandestine drug manufacturing unit in Karachi’s Malir area, where high-dose opioids and fake Indian brands of multiple medicines were being produced in unhygienic conditions, seizing large quantities of raw material, packaging and finished products, officials said on Thursday.
Carried out by Sindh’s drug administration, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the raid targeted a house in Memon Goth that had been converted into an illegal manufacturing facility. A suspect named Danish was arrested and handed over to the FIA for further investigation.
Officials said the unit had been producing a wide range of counterfeit and unregistered medicines. The operation also revealed the manufacture of banned high-strength formulations of tramadol tablets in 225mg and 250mg doses, which are not permitted due to their high abuse potential.
Moreover, officials recovered counterfeit versions of erectile dysfunction drugs based on sildenafil, along with fake Indian brands of painkillers and other unregistered pharmaceutical products. Packaging material falsely indicating Indian manufacturing sites was also seized, suggesting an attempt to pass off locally produced drugs as imported brands.
“They were also manufacturing antibiotics including amoxicillin-based products, as well as iron supplements and multivitamins,” said Khurshid Ali, a provincial drug inspector, adding that controlled medicines like alprazolam were being produced in extremely filthy conditions, posing serious risks to public health.
According to officials, hundreds of kilograms of active pharmaceutical ingredients were recovered from the site, indicating large-scale production capacity. These included raw materials for painkillers, sedatives, antipsychotic drugs, and medicines used for erectile dysfunction.
“Initial evidence suggests these drugs were being manufactured here and then smuggled abroad, but the full scope of the operation will become clear after a detailed investigation,” the official said. Investigators suspect that the counterfeit products, especially high-dose tramadol and alprazolam, were destined for international markets.
Officials said that such drugs are frequently trafficked to African countries, including Nigeria, while benzodiazepines like alprazolam are often smuggled to the Middle East, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The bust comes amid repeated seizures of controlled medicines at Karachi’s seaport, where authorities have seized millions of tablets and capsules of high-dose tramadol and other psychotropic substances in recent years.
Despite these recoveries, officials acknowledge that enforcement has struggled to identify and dismantle networks involved in the import of raw materials, and the manufacture and export of such drugs.
The latest raid has again exposed gaps in regulatory oversight and law enforcement, particularly in tracking the supply chains of pharmaceutical raw materials, and taking action against organised groups involved in the production and smuggling of counterfeit and controlled medicines.
Officials said that further investigations by the FIA, in coordination with regulatory and provincial authorities, are under way to identify the wider network involved in the operation, including suppliers, distributors and potential international links.
They added that stricter monitoring of pharmaceutical raw materials, improved coordination between agencies and stronger penalties would be essential to curb the growing trade in counterfeit and smuggled medicines.
