October 29, 2024: In a significant crackdown on the production and trafficking of synthetic drugs, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Special Cell of Delhi Police uncovered a large-scale methamphetamine manufacturing lab in Delhi-NCR’s Gautam Budh Nagar district. Acting on intelligence reports, officials carried out a raid on October 25 at a factory in the Kasana Industrial Area, seizing approximately 95 kg of methamphetamine in both solid and liquid forms.
The operation uncovered sophisticated lab equipment and a stockpile of chemicals including acetone, sodium hydroxide, methylene chloride, ethanol, and red phosphorus, all essential for producing methamphetamine. The investigation revealed that the network had extensive roots across NCR, with links to members of Mexico’s Cartel De Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) – a powerful international drug cartel.
Key Figures Involved
The lab’s masterminds included a Delhi-based businessman and a Tihar Jail warden, who collaborated to establish the facility. The businessman, previously involved in a drug case, met the warden while in Tihar Jail, where the partnership was formed. Together, they sourced the necessary chemicals and equipment, while a chemist from Mumbai was recruited to oversee production. A cartel representative based in Delhi reportedly tested the quality of the drugs produced.
The NCB apprehended four suspects at the factory and, on October 27, presented them before a magistrate, who remanded them to three days in police custody. A fifth suspect, a close associate of the businessman, was arrested in Delhi’s Rajouri Garden area and is set to appear in court.
Ongoing Investigation
The NCB is conducting a thorough investigation into the syndicate’s operations, financial networks, and assets gained from drug trafficking. Officials revealed that, due to the low cost of synthetic drug production, cartels increasingly establish such labs in industrial areas to avoid detection, taking advantage of the heavy traffic of materials and machinery in these zones.
This bust is part of an intensified NCB crackdown this year. The agency has dismantled clandestine labs across five other locations, including sites in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, with recent seizures in Bhopal totalling 907 kg of mephedrone and 7,000 kg of chemicals.
Authorities are committed to tracking further links, financial connections, and operatives involved in this drug trafficking network, sending a strong message against the illicit drug trade in India.
