26 arrested after ₹108-crore drug bust

The search, officials said, led to the seizure of 11.4kg of amphetamine and 110.9kg of precursor chemicals.

Twenty-six foreign nationals were arrested and more than 7.9kg of cocaine, along with other narcotics, were seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in coordinated raids across the National Capital Region over the past three days, the agency said in a statement on Friday.

The seized narcotics. (HT Photo)

Acting on intelligence inputs, DRI officers raided a clandestine facility manufacturing methamphetamine at a farmhouse near high-rise residential buildings in Greater Noida. The search, officials said, led to the seizure of 11.4kg of amphetamine and 110.9kg of precursor chemicals.

Simultaneously, another DRI team arrested the alleged syndicate handler from Gurugram, recovering 1.3kg of amphetamine from his residence.

“DRI officers identified another premises suspected to be used for storing and distribution of the contraband in west Delhi. The premises were located in a densely populated and congested area, surrounded by narrow lanes, posing considerable logistical and security challenges,” according to the statement.

At the West Delhi site, a raid was conducted with Delhi Police’s help after locals resisted the search. “The DRI team, with assistance from Delhi Police… successfully secured the premises and completed the search,” it added.

The DRI statement, however, did not specify the nationalities or identifies of the arrested individuals.

This raid yielded 7.8 kg of cocaine, 1.8 kg of heroin, 3.5 kg of amphetamine, 2 kg of ganja, and 0.15 kg of methaqualone, along with ₹37 lakh in cash, suspected to be proceeds of drug trafficking.

Overall, teams across different locations recovered 16.27 kg of amphetamine, 7.9 kg of cocaine, 1.8 kg of heroin, 2.13 kg of ganja, and 115.42 kg of precursor chemicals, valued at around ₹108.81 crore in the illicit international market, the statement said.