23.5 Metric Tonnes of Mandrax Seized in the ‘Biggest’ Drug Bust

In the biggest-ever drug bust, Rs 3,000 crore worth of meth tablets seized.

CBEC Chairman dresses the press in the biggest ever catch by DRI in Udaipur, Rajasthan on Wednesday. (Photo: ANI screengrab)

In the biggest ever drug racket bust, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized 23.5 metric tonnes of Mandrax tablets from Udaipur, Rajasthan. Methaqualone tablets (Mandrax) are popularly known as ‘party drugs’ and have a huge export market in Mozambique and South Africa.

A team of Revenue Intelligence officers raided and detected a hidden room full of cartons of about 2 crore Mandrax tablets worth of Rs. 3,000 crore.

DRI, which is an arm of the central board of excise and customs (CBEC), arrested Subhash Dudani, a Mumbai-based film producer and industrialist. He is the mastermind of the drug syndicate.

The drug, a depressant, overdose of which can lead to coma and death, is used as a recreational drug in Africa and Asia.

CBEC Chairman Najib Shah 

The seizure was made on 28 October from an industrial area in Udaipur after the Mumbai arm of DRI received a tip-off. They suspected that the drugs were meant for foreign markets and were manufactured in Rajasthan.

In the past five years, the DRI has seized more than 540 kg of heroin and 7,400kg of ephedrine along with other substances.

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj