Lucknow, Dec. 4 -- What started as a routine seizure of a cough syrup consignment in Sonbhadra district on October 18 has evolved into an extensive narcotics investigation stretching across states, according to officials privy to the probe.

As Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) teams in Uttar Pradesh delved beyond paperwork, they uncovered a meticulously organised multi-crore codeine smuggling syndicate operating in the shadows of the pharmaceutical supply chain.

The breakthrough came after FSDA officials led by their secretary and commissioner Roshan Jacob decided to verify the suspicious trail on the ground.

According to officials, initial leads suggested large-scale misuse of codeine-an opioid-being diverted into illegal nar...