DRI busts factory manufacturing illicit psychotropic substances; Seized Drugs worth Rs.245 crore

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officers busted a clandestine factory in Yamunanagar, Haryana, that was involved in the illicit manufacture of Ephedrine, a controlled substance listed under Schedule A of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Regulation of Controlled Substances) Order 2013, Continuing its crackdown on drug syndicates involved in the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs in the country.

Ephedrine is used in the manufacture of Methamphetamine – a party drug, more commonly known as ice, crystal meth, speed etc. The aforementioned operation resulted in the confiscation of 661 kg of ephedrine and 5,200 kg of raw materials worth Rs. 133 crore on the black market abroad.

DRI discovered specific information indicating that a clandestine plant in the rural areas bordering Yamnunanagar, Haryana, was producing illegal chemical substances. A huge cargo of ephedrine, weighing 661 kg, and more than 5,200 kg of raw materials intended to be utilised in the production of ephedrine were found during the two-day long searches conducted at the plant premises beginning on July 29, 2022. The machinery that was being utilised to make the chemical medicines, such as centrifuges and glass line reactors, was also recovered. In this case, two people have been detained, including one of the financiers, and additional inquiries are being conducted.

In a different incident, DRI investigators detained a person at Bengaluru Railway Station, and after searching their suitcase, managed to retrieve 16 kg of heroin that had been cleverly hidden in the trolley bag’s artificial cavity and was worth Rs. 112 crore on the black market outside. This individual had taken a morning flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Bengaluru and was his route to New Delhi when he was stopped. Further inquiries are being conducted after the said person’s arrest.

The discovery of a factory producing illegal drugs is a mortal blow to the drug cartels involved in their production, trade, and distribution because they pose a risk to India’s youth. DRI is dedicated to exerting all reasonable efforts to safeguard India from the threat of narcotic narcotics and other psychoactive chemicals, which have significant socioeconomic ramifications. Through its operations carried out all throughout India in the financial year 2021–2022, DRI confiscated 3,463 kg of heroin, 208 kg of pseudoephedrine, and 321 kg of cocaine, with a combined market value of roughly Rs 19,800 crore.