Gujarat: NCB raids mephedrone manufacturing unit in Vapi; two held

AHMEDABAD: The Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) zonal unit has busted a mephedrone manufacturing unit in Vapi city of Gujarat's Valsad district and arrested two persons, one of them a chemist, with 4.5 kg of the psychotropic drug, an official said on Wednesday.
The drugs manufactured at the unit were being supplied to different parts of Gujarat and the country, a release by the NCB's Ahmedabad unit stated.
The NCB had been keeping a watch on the cartel for the last few days and conducted raids that lasted for around 20 hours on Tuesday, the official said.
The two accused were caught red-handed while delivering of the contraband at a residential area of Vapi, he said, adding that the NCB officials seized 4.5 kg of mephedrone (MD) from the duo and recovered unaccounted cash of Rs 85 lakh during raids at different premises belonging to them.
Prakash Patel, a chemist from Valsad, manufactured mephedrone at the unit, and Sonu Ramniwas, a native Haryana, was involved in marketing of the drug, the official said.
The NCB, in its release, stated that the case is significant, as a manufacturing unit, a first-of-its-kind in Gujarat, has been busted and it also involves recovery of a huge haul of cash and MD in such a large quantity.
Further probe is underway in the matter, the official said, adding that the NCB will look into the links of the illegal drug network.