Thane, Oct 24: An illegal chemical manufacturing facility in Telangana that supplied crucial precursor materials for the drug mephedrone, valued at Rs 27 lakh, has been busted by the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police, and the manufacturer has been nabbed, PTI reported, citing a police officer.

Source: PTI via Swadesi

Addressing a news conference, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandip Doiphode detailed multi-state operations that have resulted in the seizure of large quantities of narcotics and regulated chemicals so far, PTI reported.

Source: PTI via Swadesi

The chain began on June 24, when MBVV Police intercepted two suspects in Nalasopara (East) in Palghar district and recovered 112 grams of mephedrone from them. During the investigation, the Crime Branch uncovered two clandestine mephedrone manufacturing laboratories on agricultural land in Sandhan village in Gujarat's Kutch district and at Kosada Kala in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj district, police said.

Source: PTI via Swadesi

25Total arrests so far in the multi-state mephedrone probe
Almost 45 kgPrecursor seized at the Pashamylaram unit, valued at over Rs 27 lakh
Nearly 70 kgMephedrone seized earlier in the investigation, police said

Police said the suspects were procuring 2-Bromo-4-Methylpropiophenone, a controlled chemical powder regulated under the NDPS Act and used in the synthesis of mephedrone, from the illicit Telangana unit. Acting on that intelligence, a Crime Branch Unit-4 team raided an industrial unit in the IDA Pashamylaram area of Patancheru in Telangana's Sangareddy district on October 21, with support from Patancheru Police under the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate, and apprehended Ramesh Babu Sake, police said.

Source: PTI via Swadesi

Police seized almost 45 kg of the precursor valued at over Rs 27 lakh (yaani about Rs 0.27 crore), alongside raw chemical compounds and laboratory apparatus, and said the clandestine facility was destroyed. Before this raid, investigators had already seized nearly 70 kg of mephedrone, cash, 260 litres of precursor chemicals and specialised laboratory equipment, police added.

Source: PTI via Swadesi

With the latest operation, the total number of arrested persons has reached 25, including alleged drug manufacturers, precursor chemical suppliers, smugglers, peddlers and financial handlers, police said. Hindustan Times, via Inshorts, reported that police linked the unit to Salim Dola, described as a suspected aide of Dawood Ibrahim, who allegedly funded factories through hawala channels — a link police are treating as an allegation under investigation, not an established fact.

Source: Hindustan Times via Inshorts