Maharashtra Police carried out raids today at a drugs manufacturing unit in the Charlapalli industrial area and at premises in Medchal district, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, and seized narcotics and raw chemicals with an estimated value of about Rs 12,000 crore, police said.
Police said the unit was operating under a fake licence as a chemical factory named “Vaghdevi Labs”. During searches, officers seized approximately 32,000 litres of raw chemicals reportedly used in the manufacture of MD (mephedrone) and other synthetic drugs. Police said they also seized raw materials identified as methylenedioxy and methamphetamine, and large production equipment in the factory.
Officials said they arrested 12–13 people in connection with the unit; among those named in initial reports were the factory owner and chemical expert Srinivas, his associate Tanaji Pathe, and one foreign national. Police said they recovered 100 grams of MD and Rs 25 lakh in cash during the action.
According to the police, the drugs manufactured at the factory were being supplied to Maharashtra and to several other states, and were also destined for foreign markets. The accused are alleged to have distributed substances under names such as Ecstasy, Molly and XTC, the police statement said.
Police said the probe intensified after a separate arrest in Maharashtra last month, when a Bangladeshi national identified as Fatima was detained with drugs valued at about Rs 25 lakh; information obtained from that arrest helped lead investigators to the Hyderabad unit.
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