Ahmedabad, Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) carried out a raid at a mephedrone manufacturing plant in Thane district of neighboring Maharashtra and seized liquid drug worth Rs 800 crore, an official said on Wednesday.
He also carried out a similar operation at a pharmaceutical factory in Bharuch district of Gujarat, where he recovered liquid Tramadol worth Rs 31 crore, he said.
During its operations carried out at both places on August 5 and 6, the ATS arrested four persons who were involved in the production and sale of these narcotic substances that are banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Sunil said. Joshi. Deputy Inspector General of Police, ATS.
Based on a specific tip-off, an ATS team raided an apartment in Bhiwandi city, Maharashtra, on August 5 and nabbed Mohammad Yunus Shaikh (41) and his brother Mohammad Adil Shaikh (34) with nearly 800 kilograms of mephedrone (medicine MD) in liquid form and worth Rs 800 crore in the international market, he told reporters.
"Our investigation revealed that the two brothers had rented the flat almost eight months ago to manufacture mephedrone using various chemicals. Their previous batch failed, but this batch was almost ready and the process to produce the final product in powder form was underway when the raid was carried out," Joshi said.
On July 18, the ATS raided a mephedrone manufacturing unit in Palsana area of Surat city and seized drugs and raw materials worth Rs 51.4 crore, he said, adding that three people were also arrested at the scene.
During their interrogation, the trio revealed that the Shaikh brothers from Maharashtra were also part of the drug cartel, he said.
In another operation, the agency raided a pharmaceutical unit in Dahej industrial area of Bharuch district and nabbed two people with liquid Tramadol worth Rs 31 crore, Joshi said.
Tramadol, an opioid painkiller, was notified as a psychotropic substance under the NDPS Act in 2018 and its export is restricted.
Those arrested were identified as Pankaj Rajput and Nikhil Kapuria.
Investigations revealed that Rajput works as a chief chemist in that factory, where pharmaceutical products are produced to order, while Kapuria is the owner of a chemical marketing company.
"Kapuria had convinced Rajput to produce Tramadol. They procured the raw material from a company in Ahmedabad, owned by Harshad Kukadiya. After preparing the liquid active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), the duo used to send the liquid to Kukadiya. With the help "From his helpers, Kukadiya used to send the liquid to a factory in Gandhinagar to prepare Tramadol tablets," Joshi said.
While Rajput and Kapuria have been arrested, efforts are on to nab others who were involved in this racket, he said.
On July 29, the Customs department had seized 68 lakh Tramadol tablets worth Rs 110 crore from two export containers destined for West African countries at Mundra port in Kutch district of Gujarat. , Sierra Leone and Niger.
Interrogation of the arrested accused revealed that the seized tablets were prepared by them and sent to Mundra for export, Joshi said.
In particular, Tramadol has recently gained notoriety as the "combat drug" after it was reported that ISIS fighters used it to stay awake for long hours.
He also carried out a similar operation at a pharmaceutical factory in Bharuch district of Gujarat, where he recovered liquid Tramadol worth Rs 31 crore, he said.
During its operations carried out at both places on August 5 and 6, the ATS arrested four persons who were involved in the production and sale of these narcotic substances that are banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Sunil said. Joshi. Deputy Inspector General of Police, ATS.
Based on a specific tip-off, an ATS team raided an apartment in Bhiwandi city, Maharashtra, on August 5 and nabbed Mohammad Yunus Shaikh (41) and his brother Mohammad Adil Shaikh (34) with nearly 800 kilograms of mephedrone (medicine MD) in liquid form and worth Rs 800 crore in the international market, he told reporters.
"Our investigation revealed that the two brothers had rented the flat almost eight months ago to manufacture mephedrone using various chemicals. Their previous batch failed, but this batch was almost ready and the process to produce the final product in powder form was underway when the raid was carried out," Joshi said.
On July 18, the ATS raided a mephedrone manufacturing unit in Palsana area of Surat city and seized drugs and raw materials worth Rs 51.4 crore, he said, adding that three people were also arrested at the scene.
During their interrogation, the trio revealed that the Shaikh brothers from Maharashtra were also part of the drug cartel, he said.
In another operation, the agency raided a pharmaceutical unit in Dahej industrial area of Bharuch district and nabbed two people with liquid Tramadol worth Rs 31 crore, Joshi said.
Tramadol, an opioid painkiller, was notified as a psychotropic substance under the NDPS Act in 2018 and its export is restricted.
Those arrested were identified as Pankaj Rajput and Nikhil Kapuria.
Investigations revealed that Rajput works as a chief chemist in that factory, where pharmaceutical products are produced to order, while Kapuria is the owner of a chemical marketing company.
"Kapuria had convinced Rajput to produce Tramadol. They procured the raw material from a company in Ahmedabad, owned by Harshad Kukadiya. After preparing the liquid active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), the duo used to send the liquid to Kukadiya. With the help "From his helpers, Kukadiya used to send the liquid to a factory in Gandhinagar to prepare Tramadol tablets," Joshi said.
While Rajput and Kapuria have been arrested, efforts are on to nab others who were involved in this racket, he said.
On July 29, the Customs department had seized 68 lakh Tramadol tablets worth Rs 110 crore from two export containers destined for West African countries at Mundra port in Kutch district of Gujarat. , Sierra Leone and Niger.
Interrogation of the arrested accused revealed that the seized tablets were prepared by them and sent to Mundra for export, Joshi said.
In particular, Tramadol has recently gained notoriety as the "combat drug" after it was reported that ISIS fighters used it to stay awake for long hours.
