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Ahmedabad crime branch, DRI seize narcotics worth over ₹500 crore from Maharashtra
A total of 4.5kg of Mephedrone, 4.3kg of Ketamine and another mixture of Mephedrone weighing about 9.3kg was seized from the site
The Ahmedabad crime branch, in a joint operation with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), has seized narcotics, and raw materials used for its production, worth more than ₹500 crore during multiple raids at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra.
The police have arrested two people, including the kingpin hailing from Surat, under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985.
“We had input that a person from Surat, now residing in Aurangabad, was running a narcotics racket. He is a chemical engineer and worked as an employee in a pharma company earlier. Based on specific intelligence developed by DRI Ahmedabad Zonal Unit and Crime Branch of Ahmedabad Police, the DRI conducted search operations at various locations in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Friday under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985,” said Chaitanya Mandlik, DCP Crime Branch, Gujarat Police. The Crime Branch department of Aurangabad Police also assisted in the operation.
Officials busted a narcotics manufacturing factory in Paithan MIDC, called ‘Mahalakshmi Industries’, which was involved in the production of Mephedrone and Ketamine. A total of 4.5kg of Mephedrone, 4.3kg of Ketamine and another mixture of Mephedrone weighing about 9.3kg was seized from the site, according to officials.
The illicit market value of these narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances has been pegged at over ₹250 crore, according to Mandalik. Three factories were raided, in addition to uncovering raw materials with the potential to manufacture an equivalent or an even bigger quantity of drugs. “The overall value of drugs, along with the raw materials, would be in excess of ₹500 crore,” he added.
The operation puts spotlight on the increasing use of synthetic drugs and misuse of industrial units in manufacturing of these drugs, according to a DRI official.
The search of the residential premises of one of the accused resulted in the recovery of about 23kg of cocaine, about 2.9kg of Mephedrone and Indian currency of about ₹30 lakh.
The banned substances were being distributed to various states and some of it was also meant to be sold overseas, officials added.
