HYDERABAD: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted a private lab in the city manufacturing psychotropic substances illegally and seized a huge quantity of Mephedrone on Friday.
A Mumbai-based network is behind the manufacturer, who is a former pharma employee and a Ph.D. in chemistry, DRI officials said.
Mephedrone is a synthetic stimulant drug generally abused for recreation and popular among the urban college-going crowd. It is commonly known as DRONE, Meow Meow. It is known for its effect similar to that of MDMA, Amphetamines, and cocaine.
Acting on a tip-off that Mephedrone was being received by a person, officers of DRI intercepted the manufacturer and receiver and seized 3.156 kgs of Mephedrone worth around Rs 63.12 lakh.
Further searches were conducted at the manufacturer's house, leading to seizure of Rs 12.40 lakh in cash and 112 grams of Mephedrone samples of different purities.
In addition, raw materials weighing around 219.5 Kg, which were procured for manufacturing of Mephedrone, were also seized. This raw material is sufficient to manufacture up to 20 Kgs of Mephedrone.
Inquiries revealed that the manufacturer is a Ph.D. in Chemistry and worked in the Pharma sector before starting this illegal business.
The manufacturer and his associate were arrested.
According to preliminary estimates, the person has manufactured and sold more than 100 Kgs of Mephedrone in the last one year.