Major crackdown on drug traffickers in Raj, factories and labs busted, suspects held

Jaipur/Jodhpur/Jaisalmer: Rajasthan Police and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Wednesday and Thursday smashed a sprawling MD drug network operating across western Rajasthan, busting clandestine laboratories in Barmer, Pratapgarh and Jalore.In Barmer Thursday, joint teams raided a makeshift MD manufacturing unit hidden deep inside sand dunes near the India–Pakistan border at Bhairudi village under Sedwa police station limits. Superintendent of Police Narendra Singh Meena said the operation was carried out by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force, the Narcotics Control Bureau, and the district special team.
"The location was deliberately chosen for its isolation, with sand dunes on all sides and virtually no civilian movement," Meena said.Police seized chemicals and equipment capable of producing nearly 178 kg of MD. Officers recovered sacks of chemical powder, liquid substances stored in jerry cans, glass flasks, test tubes, cooling rods fitted with cork nozzles, an electric thermal rod, a motorised stabiliser, and other laboratory apparatus. A forensic team examined the site.Police detaining landowner Ramjeevan , who told investigators that the seized material belonged to his cousin Rana Ram. Officers said a similar MD unit was detected in nearby dunes last July, indicating repeated attempts to operate drug factories in the desert. Sources said the latest unit was unearthed on specific inputs and linked to an earlier case in which a similar factory was busted Wednesday in Jalore district.In Pratapgarh, police arrested a wanted accused carrying a reward of Rs 25,000 in connection with an illegal MD factory busted earlier this month. Superintendent of Police B Adithya said teams arrested Rohit Mogra under Operation Chakravyuh.Police said the factory was detected during a Feb 2 raid on Water Works Road, where it allegedly operated under the cover of a grocery shop and grain warehouse. Officers seized 106 grams of ready MD, 114.75 kg of liquid chemical, and drug-manufacturing equipment. Rohit fled during the raid, abandoning his motorcycle, but was later tracked through technical surveillance to his in-laws' house in Madhya Pradesh and arrested. A court remanded him to 5 days' police custody, while teams continued to search for 2 other absconding accused.Meanwhile, in Jalore district, the NCB and district police busted another MD lab Wednesday, seized 4.9 kg of the drug, and arrested 3 people. Officials said the unit, equipped with industrial-grade machinery, had the capacity to manufacture up to 200 kg of MD.