BENGALURU: A Toyota Fortuner SUV with the Karnataka registration number was intercepted at Palsana, Surat district, Gujarat, on January 28 by the Narcotics Control NCB (NCB), Ahmedabad.
The search of the vehicle led to the recovery of about 35 kg of mephedrone (MD) -- a banned empathogen-stimulant drug, also called ‘meow meow,’ or ‘M-CAT,’ which is used in recreational settings because of its stimulant effects similar to amphetamines (particularly MDMA) and cocaine.
The arrest of the alleged mastermind of the inter-state drug network, Mahindra Kumar Vishnoi, subsequently led the NCB, Bengaluru zonal unit to bust a “sophisticated illicit manufacturing unit in Hebbal Industrial Area in Mysuru, which was being operated in the guise of manufacturing chemicals for cleaning purposes, and was taken on rent by a co-accused and relative of the mastermind,” the NCB stated in an official release on Friday.
“Drugs worth over Rs 10 crore (street market), along with Rs 25.6 lakh in cash, a Toyota Fortuner SUV and various chemicals weighing more than 500 kg have been seized in the case so far,” added the NCB.
Vishnoi learnt drug making while in jail
Earlier, in Gujarat, a joint search operation by the Surat police and NCB at the house of Vishnoi in Dastan Residency, Palsana, had led to the recovery of 1.8 kg of opium, Rs 25.6 lakh cash and various chemicals. Three persons, including Vishnoi, who were transporting the drugs for distribution in Rajasthan were arrested, added the agency.
According to NCB, “Vishnoi, who was earlier involved in peddling of opium and smack, had conceived the idea of manufacturing synthetic drugs while he was in jail in connection with an NDPS case. During his incarceration, he learnt the processes, market demand and supply chains of synthetic narcotics, which he operationalised after coming out of jail on bail and set up a clandestine manufacturing unit in Mysuru.
The unit in the Hebbal Industrial Area, Mysuru was identified, and a search on the premises by NCB revealed a full-fledged clandestine lab with sophisticated instruments for the manufacture of drugs. This unit, which was being operated under the guise of manufacturing chemicals for cleaning purposes, was taken on rent by a co-accused and relative of the mastermind, Mahindra Kumar Vishnoi, who has also been arrested,” said the NCB. “It is also learnt that the clandestine lab was established in 2024 and successfully manufactured and distributed multiple consignments,” it added.
“All the four accused arrested so far in the case belong to Jalore district, Rajasthan. Further investigation is under way to identify other members of the drug cartel and to identify the supply chain of lab equipment and chemicals used in the laboratory,” the NCB stated.
Statements by Home Minister Dr G Parameshwar and Mysuru City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar on the recent Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raid in the Hebbal Industrial Area stand in sharp contrast to the official version released by the central agency on Friday.
Dr Parameshwar said on Friday that the NCB raid on a phenyl manufacturing unit was only a follow-up to a drug seizure in another state and no narcotics manufacturing materials or contraband were found in Mysuru. Latkar too said on Thursday that the inspection was linked to an Ahmedabad drugs case and no machinery or substances related to drug production existed at the unit.
But the NCB says the unit in Mysuru was part of a major inter-state drug trafficking syndicate. Also, the NCB took Ganapath, a resident of Alanahalli who ran Tuk Tuk Household Chemicals Production Solutions in Hebbal, on a transit warrant obtained from a city court.
The NCB stated, “Considering the increasing use of Mephedrone in India, NCB has circulated Red Flag Indicators about the presence of clandestine labs to various States for sensitisation of field-level officers. NCB has also identified two key chemicals - 2-Bromo-4’-methylpropiophenone and Monomethylamine, which are used in the manufacture of Mephedrone, and urged chemical industries engaged in the manufacture and trade of these chemicals to verify the credentials of purchasers, so that these chemicals are not diverted for illicit purposes of manufacturing mephedrone.”
(To report on information related to the sale of narcotics call MANAS –National Narcotics Helpline Toll -Free Number - 1933)