Vapi scrap godown used as drug lab; ₹1cr MD, equipment seized

Ahmedabad: A scrap warehouse in Gujarat’s Valsad district was allegedly being used as a covert drug manufacturing unit where banned mephedrone (MD) was processed into high-grade powder before being distributed to buyers, officials from the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Valsad district Special Operations Group (SOG) said on Tuesday.In a joint operation under “Operation Clean”, the ATS and SOG raided a godown in the Sarigam area of Vapi taluka and seized narcotics, chemicals and manufacturing equipment valued at over Rs 1 crore, officials said. Two persons were arrested, while the alleged mastermind is absconding.Investigators said the unit was run under the guise of a scrap business to avoid suspicion from nearby residents and industrial units. Officials alleged that chemicals and liquid substances sourced from outside Gujarat were processed inside the warehouse to manufacture mephedrone.The crackdown followed a tip-off received by the Gujarat ATS on May 25. After surveillance and verification using technical inputs and human intelligence, the probe indicated the alleged involvement of Rajesh Maurya, Abdul Kalam and Mehul Makwana in manufacturing and trafficking synthetic drugs from Vapi’s industrial belt, officials said.During the search, police recovered 2.377 kg of mephedrone and 0.658 kg of another suspected narcotic substance that was brought under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act as a controlled substance from March 11 this year. Officials said samples were being examined.The arrested accused were identified as Abdul Kalam Khan (36), a businessman living in Nani Daman and originally from Uttar Pradesh, and Mehul Makwana (45), a Vapi resident originally from Surendranagar district. Rajesh Maurya remains absconding, and police said efforts to trace him have been intensified.Police suspect the unit had been operating for several months and may have supplied MD to drug networks across south Gujarat and neighbouring regions. Investigators are probing possible interstate links, supply chains and financial transactions connected to the racket.