LIFESTYLE

The streets of Ghana are being haunted by a silent predator, one that comes in small, deceptively labeled packets. It’s not just another imported product; it’s an illegal opioid cocktail fueling addiction and despair. And at the heart of this crisis? A pharmaceutical company thousands of miles away in India, making millions from Ghana and West Africa‘s misery.

A BBC Eye investigation has revealed that Aveo Pharmaceuticals, based in Mumbai, is behind the illegal production and export of a highly addictive opioid mix. Branded under different names, these pills, widely known in Ghana as ‘Tramol’, are a potent combination of tapentadol and carisoprodol, smuggled into the country and peddled on the streets.

The Devastating Impact on Ghanaian Youth

In cities like Tamale, Kumasi, and Accra, young men, hoping to work long hours or simply escape reality, are turning to these dangerous drugs. Instead of boosting their energy, however, many are left slumped over in a daze, disconnected from the world around them.

The drugs consume the sanity of those who abuse them, like a fire burns when kerosene is poured on it.

During a recent operation, volunteers confiscated packets labeled ‘Tafrodol’, bearing the branding of Aveo Pharmaceuticals. Similar products have been seized in other Ghanaian towns, confirming the widespread nature of the crisis.

Undercover Operation Unmasks Indian Supplier

To trace the source of these drugs, BBC sent an undercover operative into Aveo’s factory in India, posing as a businessman from Nigeria looking to distribute opioids. Using a hidden camera, the journalist recorded one of Aveo’s directors, Vinod Sharma, proudly displaying the very pills that were found on Ghana’s streets.

According to the BBC documentary, Sharma did not hesitate to explain the appeal of his product. “If users take two or three pills at once, they can ‘relax’ and get ‘high’,” he admitted on camera. When asked about the harmful effects, he shrugged, saying, “This is very harmful for health, but nowadays, this is business.”

Public records show that Aveo Pharmaceuticals, along with its sister company Westfin International, has been shipping millions of these tablets to Ghana and other West African nations, worsening the region’s opioid crisis.

A Wider Regional Crisis

Beyond Ghana, these drugs are wreaking havoc in Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, where teenagers mix the pills with alcoholic energy drinks for a stronger high. According to the BBC documentary, Nigerian authorities estimate that about four million citizens abuse opioids, posing a severe threat to the country’s future.

In response, Ghanaian authorities have begun cracking down on opioid imports, but experts warn that without stricter enforcement and regional cooperation, illicit suppliers will continue exploiting loopholes to flood West Africa with these dangerous pills.

Calls for Urgent Action

Health professionals have raised alarms over the deadly combination of tapentadol and carisoprodol. Dr. Lekhansh Shukla, an assistant professor at India’s National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, explained in the BBC documentary that the mix induces dangerously deep sleep, often leading to breathing difficulties, seizures, and fatal overdoses.

“This is not something that is licensed for use anywhere in the world,” Dr. Shukla stressed. “It’s a very dangerous combination.”

Despite growing evidence against Aveo Pharmaceuticals, both the company and its director, Vinod Sharma, have remained silent in response to the allegations. Meanwhile, the Indian drugs regulator, CDSCO, has promised to crack down on companies violating export regulations.

For now, however, Ghanaian youth remain vulnerable to these lethal opioids, as traffickers and manufacturers continue profiting from addiction and despair.