Eight people have been arrested from Mumbai for selling Alprazolam, a psychotropic drug, to customers in the United States and the United Kingdom through deep web, commonly known as the “darknet”. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials raided Allied Air Express, which used to ship the drug, and two other premises in Mira Road on Wednesday. They seized 16 lakh tablets valued at around Rs 57 lakh and four vehicles, including an Audi and Range Rover.

Investigators said Allied Air Express owner Manjeet Singh was the mastermind behind the racket. Singh used to deliver medicines before he got the idea of starting a drug smuggling business 10 years ago. He had two call centres in Ambernath and Chandigarh through which the orders were placed. The drugs were procured from Sangli, Ludhiana and Agra. “The drugs would be packed in courier covers, sent to Delhi and then exported as health samples by Speed Post,” a DRI official toldThe Times of India. Officials said export consignments are not thoroughly checked, and thus it is easier for such packages to pass screening.

Food and Drug Administration commissioner Harshadeep Kamble said there was a strong need for stringent rules for online pharmacies to avoid such crimes in the future. “We are coming up with guidelines. It requires inputs from the IT department as Internet plays a pivotal role,” he said. All-India Organization of Chemists & Druggists said online sale of medicines should be regulated with proper rules. AIOCD president JS Shinde said, “With the Internet, it’s difficult to trace the face behind an order. It is very easy for abusers to manipulate rules, create a fake prescription and order any amount of drugs.” Possession of Alprazolam without licence to import, export or manufacture is an offence under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.