Drugs haul worth 26 crore seized from Thane, Mira Road

In one of the biggest hauls of synthetic drugs in the state, authorities have seized narcotics worth more than `26 crore from two illegal manufacturing units in Mira Road and Thane.

In one of the biggest hauls of synthetic drugs in the state, authorities have seized narcotics worth more than `26 crore from two illegal manufacturing units in Mira Road and Thane.

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While one of the manufacturers is suspected to have links with an global drug cartel, the other struck a supply deal with a Honduras cartel. Six Iranians, a Columbian and a Dutch national are among the nine persons who have been arrested.

The drugs — methamphetamine and ephedrine — are commonly known as party drugs.

On Wednesday, Yashodhan Wanage, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director, which comes under the Union Home Ministry, said the two raids were conducted over two to three days last week.

Wanage said the makers had purchased large quantities of cold-and-cough tablets and nasal drops and extracted methamphetamine, ephedrine and amphetamine from them. “Those are controlled substances used by pharmaceutical firms medicinal purposes,” he said.

The NCB is probing how the two manufacturers procured such large volumes of the drugs from the open market. The accused were remanded to NCB custody till August 27.