The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested Amit Kumar Yadav in Varanasi on Saturday, 14th February, in connection with a racket involving the illegal stockpiling and trafficking of Phensedyl cough syrup and other codeine-based medicines. He was picked up around 3:30 pm near Kashi Dham. According to STF officials, he was taken into custody by the Lucknow unit from the Harahua area under the Bada Gaon police station limits and later shifted to Lucknow for further questioning.
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: The STF arrested Amit Kumar Yadav for smuggling codeine-based Fentanyl cough syrup near Harhua Ring Road. He was involved in illegal storage and drug trafficking across UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal, and Bangladesh. A case under the NDPS Act and other… pic.twitter.com/HctoaniBPW
— IANS (@ians_india) February 14, 2026
Political links surface
Amit Yadav’s name has earlier drawn attention in political circles as well. Photographs of him had surfaced showing him alongside Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav and in the company of other party leaders. The images had triggered political reactions in the past, with rival parties raising questions over his links with the Samajwadi Party.
There are also other accused in this drug syndicate who are directly linked with the Samajwadi Party. One name is Rahul Yadav. He is a close associate of Lucky Yadav, a Samajwadi Party MLA from the Malhani seat in Jaunpur district. In a viral photo, Rahul Yadav can be seen shaking hands with Akhilesh Yadav.
Photos of dismissed UP Police constable Alok Singh with Akhilesh Yadav are also circulating on social media. As per the information mentioned in 128 FIRs registered across 28 districts, many of the accused received drug licenses during Akhilesh Yadav’s tenure. The accused are said to have played a key role in spreading the illegal trade. Currently, they are working as retailers at the local level.
Drug network across states
ASP STF Vinod Singh said the agency had received intelligence inputs that large quantities of Phensedyl and other codeine-based cough syrups were being illegally stored and supplied across several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam and West Bengal. Officials also suspect that some consignments were being smuggled into Bangladesh.
During interrogation, Amit told investigators that he procured nearly one lakh bottles of codeine-based Phensedyl syrup through his firm and diverted them into the illegal market. According to STF sources, the bottles were sold at inflated prices to traffickers who used them as intoxicants.
Police records show that Amit is a resident of Maidagin under the Kotwali police station in Varanasi. There are already three criminal cases registered against him in Varanasi, while one case is registered against him in Lucknow. It is learnt that Amit was a close associate of the main accused, Shubham Jaiswal, who is currently at large. The police are conducting raids to arrest him.
Amit reportedly told STF officials that he first met Shubham Jaiswal while studying at Harishchandra Postgraduate College in Varanasi. Investigators believe that, acting on Shubham’s instructions, he played a key role in purchasing and diverting the cough syrup into the black market.
