DRI seized Drugs worth Rs.250 Crore in joint operation

A joint operation was undertaken by DRI, Pune Regional Unit, DRI, Ahmedabad, and Crime Branch, Ahmedabad police on 20.10.2023, in which mephedrone, ketamine, and cocaine with an illicit market value of roughly Rs.250 Cr were confiscated under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Two people were detained and held in custody, including the mastermind and factory owner.

As a result of a thorough and timely investigation into the aforementioned case, DRI investigators busted another plant involved in the production and storage of narcotics on October 28, 2023 in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra.

A search of two production locations of M/s Apex Medichem Pvt. Ltd. yielded the collection of approximately 107 litres of liquid Mephedrone. The illicit market value of these narcotics and psychotropic substances has been estimated to be over Rs.160 crores. All of the recovered substances were seized in accordance with the applicable provisions of the NDPS Act of 1985.

The owner of the factory and the warehouse manager were both detained under the terms of the NDPS Act of 1985.

The situation is currently being investigated further.

The DRI operation focuses on the growing usage of synthetic pharmaceuticals and the mismanagement of industrial units involved in their production. The operation also emphasises the significance of inter-agency cooperation in combating the country’s narcotics problem.