Foreigners renting apartment in Greater Noida to set up meth lab: police

Noida:

In the past year, police busted three methamphetamine labs set up by foreigners in rented houses in Greater Noida and seized more than 100 kilograms of the drug worth hundreds of millions of rupees.

The latest such raid was on April 17, in which four Nigerian nationals were detained and 26.67 kilograms of methylenedioxyphenylethylamine (MDMA) worth Rs 1 billion were seized.

Police seized more than 75 kilograms of MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, and arrested about a dozen foreign nationals from homes in two separate but linked raids on May 16 and May 30 last year. People, these homes have the proper labs to make meth.

According to police, the total value of the cooked methamphetamine in the two incidents was over Rs 350 crore.

According to police, these recoveries may be just the “tip of the iceberg” for international drug trafficking syndicates.

In all of these incidents, they discovered that “pure forms” of methamphetamine were manufactured by foreigners working at the bottom of the syndicate.

An official involved in the investigation told PTI that the methamphetamine was sent to their contacts in Delhi and from there to Europe through channels that are yet to be investigated.

“The accused in Greater Noida cooked meth using raw materials provided by their contacts in Delhi. The meth was dried inside the house and then made into six-inch by one-inch solid bricks, which were then distributed. Contact their network in Delhi, They meet them on a need-to-understand basis,” the official said.

At least three of several police personnel PTI spoke to agreed that Greater Noida is an ideal location for the production of the drug due to its lower density of residential facilities and easy connectivity to Delhi.

An official said: “In all three cases, the houses rented by foreigners were in remote locations and had open areas on at least three sides, so the pungent smell from cooking methamphetamine would not cause any concern among nearby residents. Notice.” .

Another reason that makes Greater Noida an ideal location for the event is the availability of some raw materials that are difficult to source abroad.

For example, ephedrine is a drug and stimulant that is banned under the NDPS Act and its sale has been banned by the government.

Although ephedrine can be used for pharmaceutical purposes, it has many regulations.

A police officer said the drug was sold for Rs 80,000-90,000 per kg but was being sold in the black market at Rs 200,000-300,000 per kg. Procurement in Europe is difficult and even if sold, it costs Rs 800,000 to Rs 10 lakh per kilogram.

“The profit margins of operating here are more than double. Also, crystal meth is the second most expensive after cocaine and what they are cooking here in Greater Noida is not for local supply but for export,” the official added.

Police are currently investigating how foreigners source ephedrine locally.

In recent raids, police have also discovered that drug suppliers are using little-known shopping apps to package cooked methamphetamine. Their employees, whether in India or abroad, simply place an order to purchase the product and provide the foreign location as the delivery address.

“Once methamphetamine reaches Delhi, it is hidden in the soles of shoes, or creatively concealed in wigs, or neatly concealed within bales of textile clothing exported in bulk. Although agencies have blocked many of these drugs, they are difficult to detect to these drugs. Try to use intelligence and internal networks,” he said.

All those arrested in the three cases are now in jail, according to police.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)