Mephedrone worth Rs 106 crore seized from chemical factory in Raigad

Thane: Police have seized mephedrone worth more than Rs 106 crore during a raid at a chemical company in Maharashtra's Raigad district and apprehended three persons for allegedly manufacturing the banned substance at the facility, an official said on Friday.

Based on a tip-off, the police raided the company at Sajgaon in Khalapur on Thursday and found the mephedrone manufactured at the factory stored in drums, senior inspector Shital Raut said.

The company has since been sealed, and its employees Kamal Jeswani (48), Matin Sheikh (45) and Anthony Kurukuttikaran have been taken into custody, he said A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered against the trio, the official said.

The police team found 85.2 kg of mephedrone stored in three plastic drums, with 30 kg each in two containers and 25.2 kg in the third drum, he said.

The total value of the seized contraband is Rs 106.50 crore, the official said, adding that the cost of 1 kg of the drug is Rs 1.25 crore in the market.

The police also seized raw material and chemicals worth Rs 15.37 lakh used for manufacturing mephedrone, he said.

The police are carrying out a probe to find out if any more persons were involved in the racket of manufacture, distribution and sale of the drug, the official said.