Lucknow: The Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) has busted a clandestine laboratory manufacturing mephedrone (MD), a synthetic drug, in the Tajopur Industrial Area of Mau district and arrested two local residents for their alleged role in the operation.Officials said the raid was carried out by a joint team drawn from the CBN’s Madhya Pradesh unit and other units after specific intelligence was developed by the MP unit. The action was conducted during the Diwali period as part of an operation targeting an interstate synthetic drug manufacturing network.During the search, the CBN seized 11.65 kg of mephedrone at various stages of processing, which the agency valued at around Rs 15 crore. Along with the drug material, investigators recovered a large quantity of precursor substances, chemicals and laboratory infrastructure allegedly used to produce MD on an illegal, industrial scale.The agency said it recovered 20.9 kg of 2-Bromo-4-methylpropiophenone, described as a key precursor chemical in the manufacture of mephedrone. It also seized 3.5 kg of acetic anhydride, a controlled substance that can be used in the manufacture of heroin. In addition, approximately 119.86 kg/litres of various chemicals, solvents and processing reagents were seized, including dichloromethane, hydrochloric acid, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride and organic amines.CBN teams also seized and dismantled the laboratory setup, including industrial grinders and mixers, steel tanks and vessels, heating equipment, glass reaction and distillation apparatus, temperature-measuring devices, voltage balancers and personal protective equipment.The identities of the two arrested persons were not disclosed. The CBN said further investigation is underway to identify the wider interstate network, trace sources of precursor chemicals, examine financial transactions and establish intended distribution channels. The seizure and related proceedings were carried out under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.The development follows a recent operation in the state in which the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), along with the UP Anti-Terrorism Squad, busted a clandestine mephedrone lab in Orai, Jalaun, seizing 1,102.88 kg of drugs, semi-processed substances and precursor chemicals, including 15.44 kg of finished mephedrone valued at Rs 300 crore.CBN said it has busted six clandestine MD labs this year, with seizures of 130.16 kg of mephedrone and 1,465.38 kg/l of precursor chemicals, and arrests of 20 people in related cases in Uttar Pradesh.‘Drug labs shifting from cities to rural UP’Sources in the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) told TOI that a new trend has emerged, with drug and chemical manufacturing units increasingly shifting to rural areas of Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, such clandestine laboratories were largely operating in major cities. However, following an intensified crackdown by enforcement agencies, operators have begun relocating their facilities to smaller towns and rural pockets, particularly those situated close to the Madhya Pradesh border, in an apparent bid to evade detection and continue their illegal operations.
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