India News | Drug Labs Unearthed in Raj, Gujarat; 7 Arrested: NCB

New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) The NCB and Gujarat Police ATS Saturday busted three "clandestine" drug manufacturing labs in Rajasthan and Gujarat leading to the seizure of 300 kgs of narcotics and arrest of seven persons.

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Deputy Director General (Operations) Gyaneshwar Singh in a statement said that the labs were unearthed after about three months of "intensive" technical and ground surveillance that was mounted by the two agencies to identify the people involved in the network as well as locations of labs.

Also Read | Mumbai Fire: Four Injured After Blaze Erupts at New Wins Hospital on New Link Road in Kandivali West; Situation Under Control.

A total of 149 kgs of mephedrone or 'meow meow' (both in powder and liquid form), 50 kg ephedrine, and 200 litres of acetone was recovered from the three labs located in Bhinmal of Jalore district and Osian in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan and Gandhinagar in Gujarat, the officer said.

Seven people have been arrested till now in the crackdown, he said.

Also Read | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: 26/11 Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam Replaces Poonam Mahajan As BJP Candidate From Mumbai North Central Seat.

The teams of the two agencies were also raiding a similar lab in Amreli district of Gujarat and more recoveries are expected, Singh said.

"The kingpin of this network has been identified and will be arrested soon.

Efforts are being made to track and identify the source of precursor chemicals as well as the distribution network, national as well as any international linkages," he said.

Mephedrone, also known as 4-methylmethcathinone, 4-MMC and 4-methylephedrone, is a synthetic stimulant and is also identified by its slang names like drone, M-CAT, white magic, meow meow, and bubble.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)