A new government report has revealed that illegal drug stores are increasing in the country, despite the government restrictions.

A report released by the Department of Drug Administration on Friday stated that some 39 percent of the medical outlets operating in the country do not keep accounts of medicines classified by the government as narcotics or psychotropic substances.

Similarly, the survey had revealed that only 6.2 percent of the medicines stores were involved in selling drugs illegally.

The department prepared the report after inspecting 642 medical retail stores in 22 out of 75 districts in the fiscal year 2005/06.

The report said 249 such shops are found not maintaining sales records of medicines, which could be consumed or injected by drug abusers.

The illegally sold drugs include codeine, nitrazepam, dextropropoxyphene, ethylmorphine, morphine, diazepam, tidigesic, buprenorphine, glutethiamide and pentazocine.

Out of 500 medical stores inspected by the department, only 31 medicine shops were engaged in such activities.

Around 2,400 wholesalers and 14, 000 retail medical outlets have been registered in the Drug Administration Department. Of the total, some 800 wholesalers and more than 2, 000 retail stores located in the capital.