VIJAYAWADA: In a significant crackdown on the illegal manufacture of synthetic drugs, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sleuths have busted a clandestine facility engaged in the production of Alprazolam in the Industrial Development Area in Kondapalli under the Ibrahimpatnam police station limits.
The well-coordinated operation codenamed ‘Operation White Hammer’ was carried out on March 11 and 12. It revealed a full-fledged industrial setup for the production of Alprazolam, operating under the guise of a chemical manufacturing unit.
Searches at the premises resulted in seizure of 237 kg of Alprazolam with an estimated market value of Rs 47 crore, along with over 800 kg key raw materials, 2,860 litres of various chemicals, and industrial-scale equipment such as reactors, driers and a centrifuge, demonstrating an organised, large-scale clandestine manufacturing facility.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the operation was orchestrated by a chemist with over 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical sector, in collusion with his associate who arranged raw materials and distribution in Hyderabad. The two accused, Karumuri Sai Tribhuvan Varma and Saurabh Kumar, had rented the premises for clandestinely manufacturing Alprazolam. The duo was arrested.
During the current financial year, the DRI has dismantled eight clandestine drug manufacturing units through intelligence-based operations.