New Delhi: Acting on a tip-off about the possible transit of banned substances through the Didwana-Kuchaman State highway in Rajasthan, a Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) team spotted a vehicle this week, followed at some distance by a commercial truck.
At first glance, a search of the truck revealed only hundreds of sacks containing chicken feed, making it appear as though the truck was making a regular delivery.
But a thorough search of the sacks led to one of the agency’s biggest seizures of synthetic drugs from an unexpected source: it recovered 270 kg of mephedrone worth Rs 81 crore.
These synthetic drugs, also called “meow meow”, for the instant sense of euphoria it induces, were hidden in nine of the 400 sacks loaded on the truck.
The agency arrested six people from Haryana on charges of manufacturing and transporting the synthetic drug from an obscure location in Hisar district, ThePrint has learnt.
They are suspected to be part of a larger syndicate that manufactures goods at concealed locations and transports them under the guise of legitimate cargo.
Sources identified the accused as Sajjan, Vazir Singh, Manjeet, Kuldeep Singh and Balwan—all from Hisar district—and Ankit from Rohtak district.
The sources said Manjeet was driving the truck containing the consignment of a banned substance while Sajan and Ankit were in the escort vehicle, informing them about possible threats or police check posts.
After arresting the four accused and recovering the consignment, the agency raided two locations in Haryana, where two more people were arrested.
“Officials arrested the two accused from these premises and also recovered remnants of the clandestine manufacturing facility,” an official told ThePrint.
“None of the arrested accused were involved in the chicken feed trade, and instead the consignment of the agri product was used to disguise the movement of a banned substance,” the official added.
Surge in manufacturing, smuggling
Due to its easy availability and being cheaper than other synthetic drugs, such as cocaine or Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS), mephedrone is also called the poor man’s cocaine.
Because of its lower cost and ease of manufacture, demand for the substance has increased worldwide, including in India. It is also the most commonly produced drug in illegal and clandestinely-run facilities, according to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
According to the NCB’s 2024 annual report, seizures of mephedrone across the country by law enforcement agencies increased 13-fold, from 275 kilograms in 2020 to 3,559 kg in 2024.
During the 2023-24 financial year, the DRI seized nearly 200 kg of mephedrone.
This week’s seizure comes just a month after the DRI busted a mephedrone manufacturing facility located around 60 km from Maharashtra’s Wardha district.
During the search proceedings, the central agency seized 128 kg of mephedrone, valued at approximately Rs 192 crore, along with 245 kg of precursor chemicals, raw materials, and a complete processing setup.
The agency conducted surveillance at the facility in the Karanja (Ghadge) area of the district before raiding it and uncovering a fully functional setup, including makeshift reactors, vessels, and other equipment used for the illicit manufacture of mephedrone.
The Wardha mephedrone manufacturing facility bust was the agency’s fifth such action in the last year.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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