Surat: The directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) busted a mephedrone manufacturing operation being run from a house in Ankleshwar, seizing 500g of mephedrone worth Rs 15 lakh and arresting three persons.A DRI team raided at a house in Bhavna Farm Society in the Gadkhol area. Officials said the alleged drug manufacturing was underway at the time of the raid.Those arrested are Aman Mandal, Abhishek Yadav and Brij Patel. All three are around 26 years old. Investigators said the trio are BSc Chemistry graduates and are unemployed.The three were produced in an Ankleshwar court and were remanded in DRI custody for two days for interrogation.Apart from the finished narcotic substance, the DRI recovered approximately 200 litres of liquid raw material and 700g of partially processed material. The raid found an active manufacturing setup and samples have been taken for further testing as part of the investigation.According to preliminary findings, the suspects were allegedly producing what appeared to be their first batch of the drug and had not yet begun supply. Officials said the focus of the investigation has shifted to identifying the source of the raw materials and the supply chain that was used to procure chemicals and equipment. Another key aspect under scrutiny is how the accused acquired the technical know-how to make mephedrone.Mephedrone, known by the street names “Meow Meow”, “MD”, “M-Cat” or “Drone”, is a highly addictive synthetic psychotropic substance.In the past, illicit drug manufacturing operations had been detected in industrial areas of Ankleshwar and significant quantities of narcotics have been seized by agencies. Officials said the current case stands out because the activity was being carried out in a housing colony, showing an attempt to operate clandestinely away from industrial premises.
