MUMBAI: In a major crackdown on drugs, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai crime branch busted an alleged mephedrone (MD) manufacturing unit operating from a rented flat in a posh 23-storey residential tower in Agripada and arrested three persons, officials said on Tuesday.
The police said the accused had converted the kitchen of the tenth-floor apartment in Yasmin Tower, located in the RTO Colony area of Agripada, into a makeshift laboratory for manufacturing the synthetic stimulant drug.
The arrested accused have been identified as Shoaib Mansuri, 30, Sufiyan Mansuri, 28, both residents of Null Bazar in south Mumbai, and a woman identified as Sarkar.
“We have arrested the trio after raiding the flat where MD was being manufactured,” said deputy commissioner of police Navnath Dhavale of the ANC.
According to the police, the accused were paying a monthly rent of ₹50,000 for the apartment and had allegedly been operating the drug manufacturing unit for the past three months.
The raid was conducted after the ANC received specific information that the occupants of the flat were involved in supplying MD across the city.
“Acting on the information, our team raided the flat on the tenth floor of Yasmin Tower and found the accused manufacturing MD inside the premises,” Dhavale said.
During the operation, the police seized around 8 kg of liquid MD and nearly 7 kg of processed MD, collectively valued at approximately ₹50 crore in the illicit market.
Officials said a country-made pistol and 19 live cartridges were also recovered from the accused.
“We have seized several pieces of equipment used in the manufacturing process, including an LPG gas cylinder and other materials required for preparing the synthetic drug,” the officer said.
The police said the accused do not have any previous cases registered against them under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. However, they are allegedly involved in assault-related offences.
The ANC has obtained police custody of the three accused till June 3. Investigators are now probing how the accused acquired the technical know-how to manufacture MD despite having no known background in narcotics production or trafficking.
Police suspect more people may be involved in the racket and are investigating the supply chain, source of raw materials and the network through which the drugs were allegedly distributed across Mumbai.
