Gujarat ATS seizes MD drug worth Rs 30 crore from house in Vapi; man held

Ahmedabad, Oct 3 (PTI) The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Friday said it has seized nearly six kilograms of mephedrone (MD) drug worth Rs 30 crore from a house at Vapi in Gujarat's Valsad district, and arrested one person in this connection.

In a joint operation carried out with the Daman Crime Branch on Thursday, the ATS also seized 300 kg of raw material and various apparatus used in manufacturing the contraband from a farmhouse in neighbouring Daman district of the Union Territory of Daman, Diu and Dadra, it said.

The ATS received a tip-off that accused Mehul Thakur, Vivek Rai and Mohanlal Paliwal were preparing the contraband at a farmhouse near Daman and storing it at the house of one Manoj Singh Thakur in Chala Road locality of Vapi.

Acting on the inputs, the agency carried out a joint operation with the Daman crime branch and Valsad Special Operation Group (SOG), and carried out a raid at the bungalow in Vapi and the farmhouse at Moti Daman, it said.

During the raid, the investigators found that the process of manufacturing MD drug was underway at the farm house and that 5.9 kg MD (solid and liquid) was stored at Singh's bungalow. They also recovered a huge cache of chemicals/raw material used in the production of synthetic drugs at the farmhouse, it added.

The value of the seized 5.9 kg mephedrone in the international market was Rs 30 crore, it said.

During the raid at the farmhouse, about 300 kg of raw-material and grinder, motor, glass flask, meter etc. apparatus used for the production of the MD drugs were also found from the pharmacy of Baman Pajau. All these drugs were seized during the search, the ATS said in its release.

Paliwal was arrested on Thursday night and the other two accused - Mehul Thakur and chemist Rai - both residents of Vapi, were absconding, it added.

In a separate statement, the Daman crime branch said that among the materials used in manufacturing the MD drug, the investigators collected 25 kg of bromo chemical, 50 kg of caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, salt bags, 10 drums of chemicals weighing 25 litres each, a number of empty containers, electric gas, buckets, several trays used for preparations of synthetic drugs and mask.

MD in synthetic drugs usually refers to drugs like MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), the active ingredient in ecstasy, and MDA (methylenedioxyamphetamine), a related stimulant and psychedelic, which are synthesized chemically rather than derived from natural sources, it said.

These synthetic psychoactive substances are often used recreationally, particularly at parties and raves, but can be dangerous due to their chemical nature and potential for adulteration with other dangerous chemicals.

The recoveries have the potential of preparation of synthetic drugs whose value in the open market can run in crores of rupees, the crime branch said in a statement, adding that further investigation to identify the cartel behind the production of synthetic drugs and the associated distribution network is in progress, the crime branch said. PTI KA NP