DRI seizes 270 kg Mephedrone drug worth Rs 81 cr arrests six

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized a record 270 kg of Mephedrone, valued at Rs 81 crore in the illicit market, and arrested six persons in a major anti-narcotics operation, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday.According to information,the contraband was being transported domestically in a truck using a novel modus operandi, with the drugs concealed beneath chicken feed used as cover cargo to evade detection.
In a coordinated multi-state operation carried out on January 11 and 12, DRI officers intercepted a truck in Rajasthan carrying agro-based cargo. A detailed examination of the consignment led to the recovery of 270 kg of Mephedrone, ingeniously hidden within bags of chicken feed. The driver of the vehicle, along with syndicate members involved in the transportation and individuals escorting the consignment, were apprehended on the spot.Subsequent follow-up searches at multiple locations in Haryana resulted in the arrest of other key members of the drug syndicate. These individuals were involved in the manufacture and supply of the seized narcotics. DRI officials also recovered raw materials from a dismantled clandestine drug manufacturing facility during the searches.
The Finance Ministry said that in the current financial year 2025–26, the DRI has already busted six illegal factories engaged in the manufacture of Mephedrone, Alprazolam and Methamphetamine. These include Mephedrone units in Latur (April 2025), Bhopal (August 2025) and Wardha (December 2025); Alprazolam units in Vapi (November 2025) and Hyderabad (October 2025); and a Methamphetamine unit in Greater Noida (October 2025).Reiterating its unwavering commitment to combating drug manufacturing and trafficking, the DRI said drugs pose a serious threat to public health, national security and the country’s socio-economic fabric. As the apex anti-smuggling agency, the DRI continues to leverage intelligence-driven enforcement and coordinated nationwide action to curb the menace of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and to advance the goal of a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’.