Drug manufacturing units emerge in Hyderabad outskirts
HYDERABAD: Industrial areas on the outskirts of Hyderabad have emerged as hubs for manufacturing drugs and the raw materials used to produce them, with police and narcotics teams uncovering several such operations.
Some operators allegedly used chemical laboratories and makeshift industrial sheds to manufacture drugs and their raw materials before secretly transporting them. They also allegedly supplied narcotics in the guise of pharmaceutical products and made crores of rupees.
The discovery of a mephedrone manufacturing racket in Cherlapally had recently caused a stir across the country. Ten months after the case came to light, another racket was uncovered in Bibinagar.
Mumbai police raid company in Hyderabad
About 10 months ago, the Mumbai Crime Branch raided a company in Hyderabad and seized raw materials worth ₹11.58 crore used to manufacture drugs. Police arrested 12 people, including prime accused Srinivas Vijay Oleti and Tanaji Pandarinath Patwari.
Investigators found that the gang was manufacturing mephedrone raw material in Cherlapally. The substance is used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs such as MDMA.
Fatima Murab Sheikh alias Mella, a Bangladeshi woman who was arrested in Mumbai, had travelled to Hyderabad posing as an ordinary tourist, according to the police investigation. She met the prime accused in the city, collected about 200 grams of mephedrone samples and left for Mumbai.
She was arrested by Mumbai police after reaching the city. Following the leads, investigators raided the company in Cherlapally and seized raw materials worth ₹11.58 crore used for drug manufacture.
Bibinagar racket busted, ₹54 crore drugs seized
Ten months after the Cherlapally case, police uncovered another racket in Bibinagar, some distance from Cherlapally. Four accused were arrested and 27 kg of mephedrone, valued at ₹54 crore, was seized.
Police identified Chetan Madhukar of Nagpur in Maharashtra and Muzammal Haq of Assam as being involved in the drug trade.
Investigators found that the gang manufactured drug-related raw materials at a laboratory in Assam and used the Vetukuri laboratory in Bibinagar to manufacture the drugs. The finished drugs were allegedly transported to Maharashtra, Nagpur and other areas.
₹3 crore drugs seized in Jinnaram
A few days ago, narcotics officials stepped up their focus on such gangs and busted one operating in Jinnaram mandal of Sangareddy district.
The Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (T-NAB) found that a five-member gang had allegedly targeted a closed industrial unit and was secretly manufacturing norazepam drugs. T-NAB officials, along with Jinnaram police, raided the unit.
They seized 14 kg of norazepam, 4 kg of yellow powder, 3 kg of white powder, laboratory equipment and chemicals used in drug manufacture. The total value of the seized material was estimated at ₹3 crore.
Gang makes drugs in school building
Narcotics police also busted a gang that was allegedly manufacturing alprazolam on the second floor of a school building while classes were being conducted on the lower floors.
The incident came to light recently in Bowenpally. The remainder of the report continues on page six.
