Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Wednesday arrested two persons after busting their mephedrone (MD) making factory being run from a residential flat in Bhiwandi town of Thane district in Maharashtra. The ATS seized 793 kg of liquid MD worth about Rs800 crore from the flat.
ATS officials said that they arrested two persons identified as Md Yunus alias Eijaz, 41, and Md Adil Shaikh, 34, both residents of Dongri in Mumbai. Officials said that their names figured while investigating a similar case in Surat.
Earlier in June, ATS had busted a mephedrone making unit in Surat's Palsana and arrested three persons identified as Sunil Yadav, Vijay Gajera and Haresh Korat who were running the manufacturing facility on a rented shop in an industrial zone.
Earlier in June, ATS had busted a mephedrone making unit in Surat's Palsana and arrested three persons identified as Sunil Yadav, Vijay Gajera and Haresh Korat who were running the manufacturing facility on a rented shop. During their investigation, ATS officials came to know about two accused-Yunus and Shaikh- who were alleged to be part of a drug cartel.
Pharma company busted, two held for illegal "fighter" tablets
In another case, the ATS raided Alliance Pharma in Dahej in Bharuch district and seized raw materials worth Rs 30 crores. ATS said that the raw materials were allegedly meant for producing Tramadol tablets. ATS has arrested two persons identified as Pankaj Rajput, who worked as chemist and Nikhil Kapuriya, owner of Maruti Biogenic. Both have been arrested. The main accused in the case has been identified as Keval Gondaliya and Harshit Patel who are yet to be arrested.
ATS said that recently Customs officials at Mundra in Kutch district had caught two export consignments containing 68 lakh tablets of Tramadol, worth around Rs110 crore. They were to be exported to West African countries of Sierra Leone and Niger under the guise of Diclofenac Tab and Gebedol Tab. ATS said Rajput, Kapuriya, Gondaliya, among others had allegedly manufactured those tablets.
"Tramadol" is said to be an opioid pain medication, a psychotropic substance because of which its export is restricted. "It has gained notoriety in recent times as the “Fighter Drug” after it was reported that ISIS fighters used it to stay awake for long hours. It is also reported that this synthetic opioid drug is popular and in high demand in African nations like Nigeria, Ghana, etc," a press release issued by the Press Information Bureau had stated.