Overview

• DRI seized 61.20 kg of mephedrone in liquid form worth about Rs 92 crore and 541.53 kg of precursor chemicals and equipment from a concealed unit in Jagdishpur on August 16.
• Seven suspects were arrested across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, including a chemist caught at the site, a logistics handler detained in Basti, two suppliers and a transporter in Mumbai, and a funds associate in Surat.
• Investigators report the syndicate followed instructions from Turkey-based fugitive Salim Ismail Dola, whom NCB recently named in a public appeal for information and who is described as linked to Dawood Ibrahim’s network.
• Probes indicate key precursor 2‑Bromo‑4‑Methyl Propiophenone was moved from Bhiwandi without bills, with monthly supplies documented between March and July as part of efforts to avoid a paper trail.
• A follow-up local report says the Bhopal property used for the factory was purchased in July under the guise of a battery charging station, as agencies continue mapping the supply and finance chain; DRI notes this is its sixth clandestine MD factory bust in a year.