DEHRADUN: In a major blow to international narcotics smuggling, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted an illegal drug manufacturing unit in the Sahaspur area of Dehradun. The raid, carried out under the agency’s “Operation RAGEPILL”, uncovered a sophisticated network allegedly producing “Captagon”, a highly addictive synthetic stimulant widely referred to as the “Jihadi Drug” due to its alleged links with militant groups.
The raid on “Green Herbals”, an industrial unit operating without valid licences, resulted in the seizure of approximately two lakh Captagon tablets. Officials estimate the international market value of the contraband to be worth crores of rupees.
The operation, led by the NCB, was the culmination of a trail that began following the arrest of a Syrian national, Albras Ahmed, in Delhi. Sources privy to the investigation revealed that during custodial interrogation, Ahmed confessed that a significant portion of a 227-kg haul previously seized by the NCB was manufactured at the Sahaspur facility in Dehradun.
“The accused disclosed that approximately 31.5 kg of the drugs were produced at the Green Herbals facility in Dehradun in November last year,” an investigating official stated. Following this tip-off, an NCB team conducted a midnight raid on May 16, discovering state-of-the-art pharmaceutical machinery, precursor chemicals and finished packaging material.
The factory owner, identified as Sanjay Kumar, has been arrested and transported to Delhi for further questioning regarding the wider supply chain. Preliminary investigations suggest the drugs were destined for markets in West Asia.
Startling revelations have emerged regarding the operational model of the unit. Officials claim Kumar allegedly charged a “daily rent” of Rs 50,000 to allow third-party syndicates to use his facility for manufacturing illicit narcotics. Kumar has been charged under the stringent NDPS Act.
The discovery has sent shockwaves through local regulatory bodies. The Uttarakhand Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed that the unit was operating completely off the grid.
“Green Herbals was not registered with our department. No manufacturing licence was ever issued, nor was there any approval under the FSSAI framework,” said Tajbar Singh Jaggi, Additional Commissioner, FDA Uttarakhand.
This is not the first time the facility has come under the scanner. In 2024, a joint task force comprising the Sahaspur police, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force and the Vigilance Department had raided the same premises, seizing a substantial quantity of banned medicinal substances. At that time, Sanjay Kumar and two others were arrested, raising serious questions about how the unit resumed operations despite previous legal action.
The NCB is now widening its probe to track distribution networks within India and identify other international collaborators involved in the cross-border drug syndicate. As agencies piece together the supply chain, the incident has highlighted a concerning gap in monitoring unlicensed industrial units in the region.
Authorities in Uttarakhand continue to dismantle illicit pharmaceutical networks following several major raids:
• April 2026: Fake anti-diabetic Ayurvedic unit busted in Dineshpur, Udham Singh Nagar.
• October 2025: Counterfeit branded medicines seized in Haridwar; arrests made.
• June 2025: Illegal raw material stockpile confiscated in Haridwar.
• May 2025: Unauthorized drug manufacturing factory unearthed in Haridwar.
• August 2019: Major operation exposed a syndicate manufacturing fake drugs under renowned labels.
