Overview
- The Narcotics Control Bureau carried out an intelligence-led operation called Operation Crystal Hunt that targeted two rented labs in Jahanabad Kadalpur, Greater Noida, and arrested two people after raids on Saturday.
- The NCB seized 379.74 kg of amphetamine-containing material, 10 kg of pseudoephedrine and equipment used to make meth, and estimated the material could yield about 56 kg of finished crystalline amphetamine with an indicative illicit value near Rs 45 crore.
- Investigators recovered large-capacity heating mantles, glass reaction vessels, storage drums, filtration gear and chemicals such as hydrochloric acid, acetone, toluene, sulphuric acid and potassium permanganate that are used in meth manufacture.
- One arrested person claimed to be Nigerian but immigration records show an entry under a different name and Sierra Leone nationality, and the other suspect was previously linked to a March DRI heroin seizure; identity verification and trafficking links are under probe.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised the operation as a milestone for the Vision Document on Narcotics Control 2026–2029, and the Home Ministry has separately asked Punjab for reports on recent attacks and a suicide involving anti-drug activists, signalling parallel enforcement and safety concerns.