Illegal drug making unit busted in Telangana, drugs valued at Rs 9 crore seized

Hyderabad, March 22: In a major operation, the Telangana Drugs Control Administration, in collaboration with the Prohibition and Excise Department, successfully busted an illegal drug manufacturing unit in Sangareddy district and seized drugs valued at Rs 8.99 crore, officials said on Friday.

The officials seized 90.48 kg of 3-methylmethcathinone (popularly known as 3-MMC) from PSN Medicare Private Ltd at IDA Bollaram.

The unit was allegedly involved in manufacturing 3-MMC, a dangerous and highly addictive designer drug that mimics the effects of 'Ecstasy' and cocaine.

Acting on an alert from Interpol that the illegal manufacturing unit was also exporting the designer drug to several European nations, TSDCA officials conducted the raids and seized the psychotropic substance while personnel from the Prohibition and Excise Department arrested PSN Medicare Private Ltd Director Kasthur Reddy Nemallapudi.

The joint raids of the TSDCA and Prohibition and Excise Department were carried out on March 21 and 22.

During the raids, officials detected the manufacturing of illicit drugs at the site under certain code names. The stocks of material, amounting to 90.48 kg, with code name ‘YLV01’, being manufactured at the site without batch or manufacturing records or production logs, were detected at the site.

"On verification of the orders received by Kasthur Reddy Nemallapudi from several foreign nations and the sale transactions carried out by him, it has been found that the material manufactured under the code name ‘YLV01’ is chemically 2-(methylamino)-1-(3-methylphenyl) propan-1-one," the TSDCA said.

The chemical pertains to the illicit drug 3-MMC, which is listed under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) as a 'psychotropic substance' and its manufacturing and sale is prohibited under the NDPS Act.

Nemallapudi had been manufacturing and supplying this illicit drug under the chemical name. He had been manufacturing designer drugs such as 3-MMC and 2-MMC), which are structural isomers of Mephedrone (4-MMC) and have been designed to mimic the effects of the drug, with an intention to avoid classification as illegal (to circumvent drug abuse laws) and/or detection in standard drug tests.

However, 3-MMC was recently classified as a psychotropic substance under the NDPS Act. Closely related in structure to the illicit drug Mephedrone (4-MMC), it was first identified as being sold in Sweden in 2012 and is also illegal in most countries that have banned Mephedrone, including India.

However, it is illegally traded on the recreational drug market as an alternative to Mephedrone.

There were reports that it was being imported into Europe in bulk quantities, mainly from India. Hence it is prohibited in India by classifying it as a ‘psychotropic substance’, TSDCA's DG Kamalasan Reddy said.

3-MMC is a strong stimulant and a noted recreational drug. There are reports that it has stronger amphetamine-like stimulant properties compared to Mephedrone and is mostly sold on the internet as a "research chemical". This novel designer drug is usually found in the form of white powder or crystals. The most frequently used routes of its administration are insufflation (snorting) and the oral route, either as capsules or powder wrapped in cigarette paper (referred to as "bombing"). Inhalation and intravenous injection are also used.