Daijiworld Media Network – Mira-Bhayandar

Mira-Bhayandar, Sep 6: In one of the biggest drug seizures of the year, the Anti-Narcotics Cell and Crime Branch of Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar police busted a massive narcotics cartel operating out of a chemical manufacturing unit in Telangana, seizing mephedrone (MD) worth Rs 12,000 crore.

The operation began with the arrest of 12 individuals, including a foreign national, and the seizure of 100 grams of MD along with Rs 25 lakh in cash. Interrogations led investigators to a chemical factory in Hyderabad’s Cherlapally industrial area, where the cartel was manufacturing the synthetic stimulant under the guise of legitimate operations at Waghdevi Labs.

“After weeks of infiltration and risky surveillance, we managed to crack the network and raid the factory,” a senior officer revealed. Police recovered sophisticated drug production equipment, nearly 32,000 litres of precursor chemicals, and large-scale narcotics processing units.

The factory owner, Srinivas Valotty, and his associate, Tanaji Pate, have been taken into custody. In total, 12 people linked to the interstate syndicate have been arrested so far.

Police Commissioner Niket Kaushik confirmed the seizure, calling it a major blow to the narcotics supply chain across Maharashtra and other states. The factory has been sealed, and further raids are underway to track the cartel’s wider distribution network.