NRI held with aphrodisiacs

The Customs officials on Saturday detained an NRI for smuggling 15 kg of medicines, mostly aphrodisiac drug for men, at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here. The man, claiming to be a doctor, has reportedly told the officials that he had brought the medicines for charity purpose.

According to Customs officials, the man was identified as Ashik Patel, a resident of Piplav village in Anand district who holds US citizenship. He had arrived at the airport in an Emirates flight. During the Customs clearance, officials asked him to open his bag but he reportedly refused to obey. When officials opened the bag, it was found filled with medicines weighing about 15 kg. The total value of the medicine is said to be about Rs 5 lakh.

"There are 13 types of medicines, including several tablets for diabetes. But most of the medicines are aphrodisiacs that men use in US. We had called a doctor from Apollo Hospital to verify them. He told us he brought the medicine for charity but didn't have any authorized letter to back his claims," officials said.

Patel was allowed to go after Customs officials seized the medicines and his passport for further investigation.

Patel lives in Los Angeles.

Officials also said he did not have documents to support his claim that he was a doctor.

The matter is being investigated further.

There had been instances of doctors bringing medicines from abroad to distribute in Gujarat in the hospitals run by charitable trusts. Two years back, several doctors had been caught for smuggling expired medicines for distributing them in hospitals in Anand district.

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