Hyderabad, Oct 19 (PTI) Telangana’s anti-narcotics unit, EAGLE Force, said on Monday that it had busted an alleged inter-state network involved in the illegal manufacture and supply of synthetic drugs and unearthed a suspected clandestine laboratory in Maharashtra.
The investigation led to the identification of a suspected drug manufacturing facility at Maregaon village in Gondia district, Maharashtra, and uncovered alleged links among chemical suppliers, laboratory operators, equipment facilitators and drug distribution networks operating across several locations, a press release said.
The Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement Force identified the facility, located at a poultry farm in Maregaon, on October 17, the release said.
Chemical-processing apparatus and chemical remnants were found at the premises.
Maharashtra Police registered a separate case. The discovery strengthened the probe into the alleged setting up of clandestine laboratories and the movement of precursor chemicals across state boundaries, it said.
Eleven people have been arrested or are in custody in connection with the wider investigation, including a suspected supplier of propionyl chloride, a precursor chemical, to the other accused for use in the alleged illegal manufacturing network. Thirteen accused are absconding, the release said.
The case first came to light on August 8, when Bibi Nagar Police in Telangana intercepted a four-wheeler heading towards Nagpur.
Police seized 27.2 kg of mephedrone and 56.98 kg of acetone and apprehended three people. A case was registered under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and the accused were remanded in judicial custody. Given the serious inter-state ramifications that emerged during the investigation, the case was transferred to EAGLE Force.
The probe revealed links to manufacturing facilities in Telangana, as well as a suspected clandestine manufacturing unit in Maharashtra, EAGLE Force said.
The investigation is continuing, with a focus on apprehending the remaining accused, establishing the role of each individual and tracing the chemical, equipment, logistical and financial supply chains that allegedly supported the network, the release added. PTI VVK SSK
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