N-bomb, new party drug, makes its way into Mumbai

MUMBAI: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has alerted law enforcement agencies about a new party drug, NBOMe, or N-bomb which has been included in the Narcotic

MUMBAI: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has alerted law enforcement agencies about a new party drug, NBOMe, or N-bomb which has been included in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act along with other new drugs.

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NBOMe is a cheap substitute for Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) drug and can be taken as a liquid, a powder, or as a tab on a blotter paper under the tongue. The Mumbai zonal accused had caught a man in April this year based on a tip off about LSD being sold. The drug, however, turned out to NBOMe.

“We had caught it as LSD. The tests report revealed that it was NBOMe,” said Kumar Sanjay Jha, NCB zonal director, Mumbai and Goa region.

Unlike LSD, which costs around Rs 800-Rs1,200 per strip or blot, NBOMe costs a mere Rs 200- 300. It is mostly passed off as LSD, sources stated.

There were cases pertaining to NBOMe done in other parts of India which necessitated its involvement in the NDPS Act.

“Our headquarters had informed the ministry about the new psychotropic substance following which swift actions were taken and total nine new drugs have been included under the NDPS Act,” said Jha.

The central government had, in a 1996 notification under the NDPS Act, 1985, specified the small quantity and commercial quantity for various narcotic drugs. Sources stated that the drug has presence in the city and peddlers keep NBOMe in a bottle and blotter paper separately.“It is only given to known customers. At the time of deal, the peddlers put a drop on the paper and it is given to the customer,” said an officer.

Investigative agencies such as the Mumbai police, the customs and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have been alerted about the new drug in the market. The new drugs included in NDPS comprise three variants of NBOMe namely 25b- NBOMe, 25CNBOMe and 225I-NBOMe. The others drugs included are AH-7921, V-BENZYLPIPERAZINE, JWH-018, AM-2201, MDPV and Methylone.