Closer look at Police crackdowns on foreign-run meth labs in Greater Noida

NOIDA: Over the past year, police in Greater Noida have dismantled three methamphetamine labs set up by foreigners inside rented accommodations, seizing over 100 kg of drugs worth hundreds of crores of rupees. The most recent raid, conducted on April 17, led to the arrest of four Nigerian nationals and the seizure of 26.67 kg of methylenedioxyphenethylamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy, with an estimated street value of Rs 100 crore.

Earlier raids on May 16 and May 30 of the previous year uncovered over 75 kg of MDMA in two separate but connected operations. These raids resulted in the arrest of about a dozen foreigners from residential houses where proper labs were set up for cooking meth. The combined street value of the seized drugs was estimated to be over Rs 350 crore, according to police.

These recoveries could be just the “tip of the iceberg” of an international drug syndicate, police said. In all these incidents, they found that meth in “pure form” was cooked by foreigners who worked in the lower rung of the syndicate.

This meth was sent to their contact person in Delhi and from there to Europe through channels that are yet to be investigated, an officer involved in the investigation told PTI. “Using the raw material which was provided to them by their contacts in Delhi, the accused in Greater Noida cooked the meth. It was dried inside the houses and then given the form of a solid brick of six inch by one inch before being parcelled out to their networks in Delhi who met them on need-to-know basis,” the officer said.

At least three of the several police personnel that PTI spoke to, concurred that Greater Noida, because of its less-dense residential facilities and easy connectivity to Delhi, served as an ideal place for manufacturing the drug. “In all three cases, the houses rented by the foreigners were in isolated locations and had open area on at least three-sides so that the pungent smell emanating due to meth cooking does not catch attention of people living close by,” an officer said.

Another factor contributing to Greater Noida’s suitability for illicit drug production was the availability of raw materials, such as Ephedrine, a stimulant that is prohibited under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Despite its regulation, Ephedrine is available for pharmaceutical purposes, although the price for it on the black market in India is significantly lower than in Europe.

A police officer said the drug costs Rs 80,000 to Rs 90,000 per kg but is sold in black market for Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh per kg.

It is be difficult to procure in Europe and even when it is up for sale, it would cost Rs 8 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per kg.

“The profit margin by operating here is more than double. Also, the meth is second most expensive to cocaine and what they cooked here in Greater Noida was not meant for local supply but was to be exported,” the officer added.

Police are now investigating how the foreigners procured Ephedrine locally. During their latest raid, police also found that the drug suppliers were using some less-known shopping apps to parcel the cooked meth.

Their associates, whether in India or abroad, simply placed order for a product and gave a foreign location as delivery address. “Once the meth reached Delhi, it was often concealed in the sole of shoes, hair extensions, or bales of textile clothes for shipment,” he said.