A major anti-narcotics operation by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has exposed a clandestine mobile laboratory manufacturing mephedrone in the Sahyadri ranges. The unit was concealed in a remote forested area and disguised as a poultry farm to avoid detection. The operation led to the seizure of a large quantity of the synthetic drug, raw materials, and the arrest of five persons linked to the network.
Operation Sahyadri Checkmate
DRI launched the operation on 24 January 2026 after sustained surveillance in the Sahyadri hinterland. The illicit facility was designed to shift locations frequently and evade enforcement agencies. Officers identified the camouflaged unit operating under the guise of a poultry farm and dismantled the fully functional laboratory.
Seizure Details
The agency seized 21.912 kg of mephedrone in different forms. This included:
- 11.848 kg in liquid form
- 9.326 kg in semi-liquid form
- 738 grams in crystalline form
In addition, 71.5 kg of raw material was recovered. This material could have produced about 15 kg more of the NDPS substance. The estimated illicit market value of the seizure is around ₹55 crore.
Arrests and Modus Operandi
DRI apprehended three persons at the site, including the cook, the financer-consigner, and the poultry farm owner. The first batch of finished contraband had been hidden at the farm owner’s residence for safekeeping. In a follow-up action, two more persons were intercepted near an old octroi toll naka inside a dense forest while they were moving to collect the final product. Four of the five arrested persons are repeat offenders with prior cases under the NDPS Act or serious laws such as MCOCA, 1999.
Significance for Internal Security
The operation marks the growing challenge of mobile synthetic drug labs and the use of disguised premises for illicit manufacture. It also shows the role of DRI in disrupting organised drug trafficking networks that threaten public health, law and order, and economic stability.
Last Modified: April 27, 2026