DRI busts illegal drug factory in AP, seizes chemicals and equipment worth ₹47 crore

The action followed an intelligence-based operation carried out on Wednesday and Thursday at a facility located in the Kondapalli Industrial Development Area in NTR district of Andhra Pradesh. The unit was allegedly operating under the guise of a chemical manufacturing facility. The operation was internally codenamed “Operation White Hammer”

Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted a chemical unit illegally manufacturing the psychotropic drug Alprazolam in Andhra Pradesh, seized contraband and chemicals worth ₹47 crore, and arrested two alleged key members of the trafficking network. While one of the accused is a chemist, the other handled logistics and supply for the illegal operation, officials said.

The factory was located in Kondapalli, Andhra Pradesh

The action followed an intelligence-based operation carried out on Wednesday and Thursday at a facility located in the Kondapalli Industrial Development Area in NTR district of Andhra Pradesh. Mumbai’s DRI unit was a part of the operation. The unit was allegedly operating under the guise of a chemical manufacturing facility. The operation was internally codenamed “Operation White Hammer”.

Alprazolam is a psychotropic substance regulated under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and is generally prescribed for treating anxiety and panic disorders.

DRI officials said the searches revealed that the unit functioned as a full-scale manufacturing facility producing Alprazolam illegally. Apart from the finished drug, the agency seized about 3.5 tonnes of chemicals during the operation.

The seized materials included around 800 kg of raw material and about 2,860 litres of other chemicals. Officials also recovered industrial equipment such as reactors, dryers and a centrifuge, indicating that the facility was capable of large-scale production.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the operation was allegedly run by the chemist, who has around 20 years of experience in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors, along with an associate who arranged raw materials and handled the distribution of the drug in Hyderabad.

Officials said the accused had rented the factory premises and used it to manufacture Alprazolam illegally. Both have been arrested and further investigation is underway.

DRI officials said that between April 2025 and March this year, the agency has dismantled eight clandestine drug manufacturing units through intelligence-based operations as part of efforts to curb the illegal drug trade.

“The operations reaffirm DRI’s commitment to Government’s ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ and safeguarding the society from the menace of narcotic and psychotropic substances,” the officer said.