Gujarat ATS raids illegal mephedrone unit in UP, arrests two in NDPS case

Gujarat ATS raids illegal mephedrone unit in UP’s Ambedkar Nagar; two arrested, large quantity of drugs and chemicals seized

Published on: Mar 18, 2026, 19:24:35 IST

By Maulik Pathak, Ahmedabad

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The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Tuesday raided an illegal mephedrone manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar district and arrested two people in connection with a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act case registered on March 1 in Ahmedabad.

ATS raid in Ambedkar Nagar uncovers active mephedrone unit; two detained, probe linked to Ahmedabad NDPS case.

In a joint raid with the Uttar Pradesh Police, the ATS seized 6 kg of mephedrone, 50 kg of liquid mephedrone, 88 kg of 2-bromo-4-methyl propiophenone, and around 200 kg of raw materials and chemicals. The chemical 2-bromo-4-methyl propiophenone was notified as a controlled substance under the NDPS Act on March 11, an officer said.

A case was registered on March 1 after 4.6 grams of mephedrone was seized from Shafaat Ahmed alias Chand Mohammad Istiyak Farooqui in Danilimda.

Ahmed, who was arrested, helped the Gujarat ATS arrest Sohil alias Bhura Munirbhai Mirza (25) and Farhan alias Bhura Faizullakhan Pathan (38), who were found to be part of the supply chain, in the second week of March.

During interrogation, Sohil said he had procured 300 grams of the drug from Ramshankar alias Pankaj Parshuram (30) and Kapildev Chedilal Sharma (31). Both residents of Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar district were arrested on Wednesday.

Based on this input, an ATS team carried out surveillance for 12 days in Ambedkar Nagar. A poultry farm in Ramnagar Karai village was being used as a front, with a tin shed on the premises housing the drug manufacturing unit, an officer said.

A case was registered on March 1 after 4.6 grams of mephedrone was seized from Shafaat Ahmed alias Chand Mohammad Istiyak Farooqui in Danilimda.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maulik Pathak
He is an Ahmedabad-based journalist with more than two decades of experience. His career spans business journalism and general news, with reporting across politics, crime, governance, public policy, business, industry, infrastructure, energy, ports, aviation, the environment, wildlife and social issues. He began his career in feature writing before moving into business journalism, reporting on companies and sectors including energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and real estate. Over the years, his work expanded to politics, courts, crime, public policy, civic affairs, the environment and wildlife. His reporting has taken him from government offices and courtrooms to factory floors, ports, forests and remote villages, covering stories that range from industrial investments and financial markets to elections, conservation and issues affecting everyday life. While many assignments demand the pace of the daily news cycle, others require sustained reporting over months and years to follow developments beyond the headlines. He started his journalism career with the Asian Age in Ahmedabad in 2002 as a feature writer and sub-editor. Since 2022, he has been working with Hindustan Times. Earlier, he worked with Business Standard, DNA, The Economic Times, Mint and The Times of India. His longest stint was with Mint, where he spent more than eight years reporting across multiple beats. During his career, he has worked in both reporting and editing roles, contributing to page planning, local editions and special editorial projects as newsrooms evolved from print-first operations to digital publishing. Early in his career, he also worked on media and documentary projects with an NGO and as a copywriter at a communications agency before returning to journalism. Away from work, he sometimes makes time for a pair of binoculars, table tennis, cinema and the occasional poem.Read More

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