LUCKNOW Two suspected heroin-manufacturing units unearthed in residential premises in Lucknow within 10 days have brought the city’s alleged drug-production network under scrutiny, with investigators probing the supply of raw materials, procurement of chemicals and distribution channels extending to neighbouring districts.
The latest bust by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) and Dubagga police on October 12 led to the arrest of two men and the seizure of 6.4 kg of suspected raw morphine, valued at ₹13 crore at the government rate and ₹32 crore in the international market, police said on Tuesday. Preliminary interrogation suggested that the accused had been operating a unit for nearly a year and supplying heroin they allegedly manufactured to distributors in Lucknow, Bareilly and Barabanki.
The operation followed a Delhi Police raid on October 4 at a house in Jankipuram, where investigators claimed to have busted another heroin-manufacturing unit and recovered 6.275 kg of finished heroin. The back-to-back cases raised questions about the use of residential premises for illegal drug production in the state capital, although investigators were yet to establish any link between the two operations.
In the latest case, the accused were allegedly involved in manufacturing heroin rather than merely transporting narcotics. They procured raw morphine and ammonium chloride from different sources and used acetic anhydride, a key chemical precursor in heroin production, allegedly supplied by a Moradabad man currently lodged in jail, said ADG (law and order) Amitabh Yash.
{{/usCountry}}In the latest case, the accused were allegedly involved in manufacturing heroin rather than merely transporting narcotics. They procured raw morphine and ammonium chloride from different sources and used acetic anhydride, a key chemical precursor in heroin production, allegedly supplied by a Moradabad man currently lodged in jail, said ADG (law and order) Amitabh Yash.
{{/usCountry}}The arrested men, identified as Mohd Zubair and Mohd Amjad, were allegedly working on the instructions of three other men who remain at large, he said.
Investigators identified the alleged supplier of acetic anhydride as Jogesh alias Pinku, a Moradabad resident arrested by the ANTF’s Bareilly unit in July 2026 after 498 kg of the chemical was recovered from him. He had also been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau in 2025, said Yash.
According to the ANTF, Pinku was associated with a chemical supply network already under the task force’s scanner.
The joint team of the ANTF’s Lucknow unit and Dubagga police raided a house in Mahipat Mau village, under the Andhe Ki Chowki police outpost jurisdiction, on October 12.
The seizure comprised 6.4 kg of suspected raw morphine, including 3.6 kg of dry powder and 2.8 kg of wet, lump-shaped material. Police also recovered an illegal .32-bore pistol, five live cartridges, two iPhones, four keypad mobile phones, a motorcycle, a scooter, a compact SUV and ₹16,170 cash. Chemicals and other materials allegedly used in heroin production were also seized.
An FIR was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Arms Act. Efforts were underway to arrest the three alleged handlers and identify other members of the network.
In the October 4 operation, Delhi Police’s Rohini district special staff raided a house in Sita Colony, Jankipuram, and recovered 6.275 kg of finished heroin. The total seizure in that case stood at 7.076 kg, valued at around ₹50 crore in the international market, according to Delhi Police.
The investigation led to the arrest of several alleged members of the network, including Ruksar Ali alias Raju, described by Delhi Police as a key supplier and the owner of the manufacturing unit.
Whether the two operations shared suppliers, handlers or distribution channels remains to be established.