In a case reminiscent of the American TV series Breaking Bad, two teachers in Rajasthan have been arrested for running a clandestine Mephedrone (MD) drug manufacturing lab worth Rs 15 crore, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said.
Manoj Bhargav (25), a science teacher at Government Senior Secondary School in Muklawa, Gangasagar district, and Indrajeet Vishnoi, a former physics teacher at a coaching center and Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) aspirant, were caught operating the synthetic stimulant drug lab from a rented flat in Dream Homes Apartment, Riddhi-Siddhi Enclave, Sri Ganganagar.
NCB Director of the Jodhpur Zonal Unit, Ghanshyam Soni, revealed that the duo sourced precursor chemicals and manufacturing equipment from Delhi and took leaves from their teaching jobs to run the operation over the past two-and-a-half months.
During this period, they produced approximately five kilograms of Mephedrone, with an estimated market value of Rs 15 crore. Out of this, 4.22 kg of the drug was sold, according to the NCB.
A raid on the flat led to the seizure of 780 grams of Mephedrone worth around Rs 2.34 crore, along with modern manufacturing equipment. Several precursor chemicals including acetone, benzene, sodium hydrogen carbonate, bromine, methylamine, isopropyl alcohol, 4-methyl propiophenone, and n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone were also confiscated.
This bust is regarded as one of the largest drug syndicate crackdowns in the state. Authorities are now investigating to identify buyers and determine if more people are involved in this operation.
