Hyderabad, Aug 17 (IANS): The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized drugs and raw material valued at Rs 97 crore during raids in Hyderabad and Mumbai and arrested three persons.

In a coordinated operation spread over three days, the DRI officials seized over 250 kg of Mephedrone, Ketamine and Ephedrine valued at Rs 47 crore.

Raw material used for manufacture of 250 kg Mephedrone valued at Rs 50 crore was also seized.

A total of Rs 45 lakh in Indian, US, and Euro currency was seized from the prime suspect in Hyderabad, and two others in Mumbai.

Acting on a tip-off that Mephedrone, a banned psychotropic substance, was illegally manufactured on the outskirts of Hyderabad, officers raided a factory and seized 142.6 kg of the contraband valued at Rs 28.52 crore and 31 kg of Ephedrine, a controlled substance under the NDPS Act, valued at Rs 3.1 crore.

Raw material used for manufacture of around 250 kg of Mephedrone was also seized from the premises.

The drugs were meant for supply to various cities in India. One such consignment sent from Hyderabad was intercepted at Mumbai.

The Mephedrone consignment was loaded in a private passenger bus as cargo but with no accompanying passenger. However, the recipients of the consignment in Mumbai were identified and their premises, including a drug manufacturing laboratory in a residential premises, was raided by DRI, resulting in the seizures.

Officials said that the syndicate had a well-established chain of supply both within and outside the country with payments for raw material and finished products conducted through 'hawala' channels.

The prime suspect was arrested by DRI in 2017 as well under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, but was out on bail.