DRI busts MD manufacturing lab in Nagpur, 4 arrested

he agency’s operation was based on a tip-off that an under-construction building located at Paachpavli area in Nagpur was involved in the clandestine manufacturing of Mephedrone

Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)’s Mumbai unit on Saturday busted an alleged narcotic-trafficking syndicate and their illegal makeshift laboratory for manufacturing Mephedrone (MD) in Nagpur. The agency seized 51.95 kg of processed liquid Mephedrone worth ₹78 crore in the illicit market and nabbed the syndicate’s mastermind/financer and three of his accomplices under the NDPS Act.

he search revealed that a small laboratory, stocked up with an ample supply of all the essential chemicals, materials and machinery required to produce MD had been set up

The agency’s operation was based on a tip-off that an under-construction building located at Paachpavli area in Nagpur was involved in the clandestine manufacturing of Mephedrone, after which it carried out a search operation at the location on Saturday.

The search revealed that a small laboratory, stocked up with an ample supply of all the essential chemicals, materials and machinery required to produce MD had been set up. The alleged mastermind procured and set up a complete set of machinery for the clandestine unit for the manufacturing of the contraband and acquired the raw materials that had the potential to manufacture more than 100kg of Mephedrone, an agency source said.

At the time of the search, the DRI found that the syndicate had allegedly already prepared more than 50 kg of Mephedrone in liquid form and further processing of the same to produce the psychotropic substance in crystallized/powder form was underway, the source added. The agency seized 51.95 kg of Mephedrone in liquid form, valued at around ₹78 crore, along with raw materials and equipment, the source said.

The arrested accused were sent to DRI’s custody by a court for further interrogation to uncover their accomplices, including those involved in the procurement of raw resources and the sale of the processed contraband. The agency also received assistance from the Nagpur police in the operation. “The operation reinforces the capabilities of the DRI to undertake and successfully execute complex operations to bust narcotics trafficking networks,” an agency source said.

In a separate operation in October 2023, the agency seized liquid mephedrone worth ₹160 crore at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad). DRI’s search of two factory premises of a pharmaceutical company resulted in the recovery of around 107 litres of liquid Mephedrone. Two persons were then arrested under the provisions of the NDPS Act, including the owner of the factory and a warehouse manager by the DRI.

HT on May 25 reported the alarming threefold rise in the quantity of MD seized by the DRI in India in 2022-23, compared to the seizures made two years earlier, in 2020–2021. While the agency seized 218.25 kg of the banned synthetic stimulant in 2020-21, it intercepted 791.25 kg of the psychotropic substance in 2022-23. The rise, of around 362.54%, reflected the increasing use of synthetic drugs in India and the alleged misuse of industrial units in the making of drugs, agency sources said.