News Analysis India

Tag: mephedrone

  • Police seize mephedrone worth Rs 36.9 cr, bust narcotics manufacturing unit in Maharashtra’s Palghar

    By PTI

    THANE: The police have seized mephedrone (MD) worth Rs 36.9 crore and arrested seven persons in an operation spanning over the last five days, involving a raid at a drug manufacturing unit at a farmhouse in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, an official said on Monday.

    Mephedrone is a synthetic stimulant drug of the amphetamine and cathinone classes. Slang names include drone, M-CAT, White Magic, meow meow and bubble.

    The police have recovered 18,453.7 gm of the banned drug, of which 18,100 gm was seized during the raid at the manufacturing unit and lab operated from a farmhouse in Mokhada on Sunday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) MBVV police Avinash Ambure told reporters.

    Liquid and powder raw materials worth Rs 2.73 lakh, chemicals worth Rs 2.59 lakh, besides vehicles, two country-made pistols, four magazines, and 14 cartridges were seized from seven accused, he said.

    Based on a tip-off, the police had on October 18 raided a hotel and arrested Sunny Bharat Salekar, Vishal Godse, Deepak Dubey, and Shahbaz E and seized 251.7 gm of mephedrone, some firearms and cash, the official said.

    These arrests led the police to Tanvir Nissar Ahmed Choudhary, who was apprehended with 102 gm of the contraband on Saturday and another accused Gautam Gunagar Ghosh who was also arrested on the same day, he said.

    Ghosh informed the police about Chandrashekar Pinjar who operated an MD manufacturing unit at his farmhouse in Mokhada, the official said.

    ALSO READ | Mephedrone worth over Rs 120 crore held from Mumbai, Gujarat; ex-Air India pilot among six held

    The police raided the premises on Sunday and seized 18,100 gm of narcotics, besides machinery and accessories, he said.

    All the seven accused have offences under the Arms Act and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act to their name, the official said.

    Choudhary, a resident of Bhayandar, is an event organiser, while Ghosh is a businessman and Pinjar, a civil contractor, he said.

    Senior inspector Aviraj Kurhade of the Crime Unit I said the local police were carrying out further probe into the crime. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

    THANE: The police have seized mephedrone (MD) worth Rs 36.9 crore and arrested seven persons in an operation spanning over the last five days, involving a raid at a drug manufacturing unit at a farmhouse in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, an official said on Monday.

    Mephedrone is a synthetic stimulant drug of the amphetamine and cathinone classes. Slang names include drone, M-CAT, White Magic, meow meow and bubble.

    The police have recovered 18,453.7 gm of the banned drug, of which 18,100 gm was seized during the raid at the manufacturing unit and lab operated from a farmhouse in Mokhada on Sunday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) MBVV police Avinash Ambure told reporters.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Liquid and powder raw materials worth Rs 2.73 lakh, chemicals worth Rs 2.59 lakh, besides vehicles, two country-made pistols, four magazines, and 14 cartridges were seized from seven accused, he said.

    Based on a tip-off, the police had on October 18 raided a hotel and arrested Sunny Bharat Salekar, Vishal Godse, Deepak Dubey, and Shahbaz E and seized 251.7 gm of mephedrone, some firearms and cash, the official said.

    These arrests led the police to Tanvir Nissar Ahmed Choudhary, who was apprehended with 102 gm of the contraband on Saturday and another accused Gautam Gunagar Ghosh who was also arrested on the same day, he said.

    Ghosh informed the police about Chandrashekar Pinjar who operated an MD manufacturing unit at his farmhouse in Mokhada, the official said.

    ALSO READ | Mephedrone worth over Rs 120 crore held from Mumbai, Gujarat; ex-Air India pilot among six held

    The police raided the premises on Sunday and seized 18,100 gm of narcotics, besides machinery and accessories, he said.

    All the seven accused have offences under the Arms Act and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act to their name, the official said.

    Choudhary, a resident of Bhayandar, is an event organiser, while Ghosh is a businessman and Pinjar, a civil contractor, he said.

    Senior inspector Aviraj Kurhade of the Crime Unit I said the local police were carrying out further probe into the crime. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

  • Drugs worth Rs 1,400 cr seized near Mumbai; chemistry post-graduate among five held

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Mumbai police seized more than 700 kilograms of mephedrone worth Rs 1,400 crore following a raid at a drug manufacturing unit at Nalasopara in Palghar district, and arrested five persons, officials said on Thursday.

    The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai crime branch conducted the raid at the unit located in Nalasopara (west) on Wednesday and recovered the contraband that was meant to be supplied to drug peddlers in Mumbai and its neighbouring areas, an official said.

    The main accused in the case is a post-graduate in organic chemistry, who got the formula of producing mephedrone through experiments, he said, adding that one of the other four arrested accused is a woman.

    “The raid was carried out based on specific inputs, which the ANC’s Worli team had received after the arrest of a drug peddler from Govandi, a suburb in Mumbai, in March this year. Mephedrone weighing 250 grams had been recovered from him at that time,” he said.

    During his interrogation, the ANC officials learnt that some more persons were involved in the illegal activity, following which they arrested the woman and one more person, and seized 2.760 kg of mephedrone.

    Continuing its probe into the supply chain, Mumbai police on Tuesday arrested one more accused and nabbed the main accused a day later following the raid at his Nalasopara unit.

    “The ANC team recovered 701.740 kg mephedrone valued at Rs 1,403 crore from the accused,” said Datta Nalawade, Deputy Commissioner of Police (ANC), in a press conference.

    During the probe, it came to light that the main accused himself was manufacturing the banned drug, he said.

    “The main accused is a 52-year-old man, who holds a post-graduate degree in organic chemistry. After experimenting with various chemicals, he found out the formula of producing mephedrone,” he said, adding that he was producing “high quality” substance.

    Police are investigating the whole supply chain and the financial trails of the drug traffickers, he said.

    “Wholesalers in the drug trade used to contact him for mephedrone and he was not selling the banned substance less than 25 kg in quantity,” he said.

    The accused person was using social media platforms, calling apps for drug peddling and supply, he said.

    Of the total five accused, four were arrested in Mumbai, while one person was held in Nalasopara, the official said, adding that various angles were being probed in the case. This is one of the biggest drug hauls by the city police in recent times, he said.

    Mephedrone, also known as ‘meow meow’ or MD, is a synthetic stimulant a psychotropic substance banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

    MUMBAI: Mumbai police seized more than 700 kilograms of mephedrone worth Rs 1,400 crore following a raid at a drug manufacturing unit at Nalasopara in Palghar district, and arrested five persons, officials said on Thursday.

    The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai crime branch conducted the raid at the unit located in Nalasopara (west) on Wednesday and recovered the contraband that was meant to be supplied to drug peddlers in Mumbai and its neighbouring areas, an official said.

    The main accused in the case is a post-graduate in organic chemistry, who got the formula of producing mephedrone through experiments, he said, adding that one of the other four arrested accused is a woman.

    “The raid was carried out based on specific inputs, which the ANC’s Worli team had received after the arrest of a drug peddler from Govandi, a suburb in Mumbai, in March this year. Mephedrone weighing 250 grams had been recovered from him at that time,” he said.

    During his interrogation, the ANC officials learnt that some more persons were involved in the illegal activity, following which they arrested the woman and one more person, and seized 2.760 kg of mephedrone.

    Continuing its probe into the supply chain, Mumbai police on Tuesday arrested one more accused and nabbed the main accused a day later following the raid at his Nalasopara unit.

    “The ANC team recovered 701.740 kg mephedrone valued at Rs 1,403 crore from the accused,” said Datta Nalawade, Deputy Commissioner of Police (ANC), in a press conference.

    During the probe, it came to light that the main accused himself was manufacturing the banned drug, he said.

    “The main accused is a 52-year-old man, who holds a post-graduate degree in organic chemistry. After experimenting with various chemicals, he found out the formula of producing mephedrone,” he said, adding that he was producing “high quality” substance.

    Police are investigating the whole supply chain and the financial trails of the drug traffickers, he said.

    “Wholesalers in the drug trade used to contact him for mephedrone and he was not selling the banned substance less than 25 kg in quantity,” he said.

    The accused person was using social media platforms, calling apps for drug peddling and supply, he said.

    Of the total five accused, four were arrested in Mumbai, while one person was held in Nalasopara, the official said, adding that various angles were being probed in the case. This is one of the biggest drug hauls by the city police in recent times, he said.

    Mephedrone, also known as ‘meow meow’ or MD, is a synthetic stimulant a psychotropic substance banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.