NEW DELHI: The Center on Wednesday issued a notification under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 amending the NDPS (Regulation of Controlled Substances) Order 2013 and adding the chemical 2-bromo-4-methylpropiophenone to the list of controlled substances.
Officials familiar with the matter said the chemical 2-bromo-4-methylpropiophenone was added to the list because drug cartels across the country use the precursor chemical to manufacture mephedrone, a synthetic stimulant drug also known as meow-meow, and market drones. Earlier this year, agencies also wrote to the government about rampant use of the chemical in pharmaceutical laboratories, an official familiar with the matter said.
Over the past few years, police and drug enforcement agencies have increasingly recovered the chemical from clandestine laboratories that manufacture mephedrone. Drug gangs running secret laboratories in different parts of the country represent a new challenge to the security services.
“Police forces and various federal agencies have informed the government about the rampant use of the chemical 2-bromo-4-methylpropiophenone by drug gangs to manufacture mephedrone. Such laboratories have mushroomed in states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana. The drug gangs have been employing mostly students with a background in chemistry to use the chemical to manufacture mephedrone through a single reaction. Mephedrone is in high demand among drug users in the countries,” an official said. Adding that the sale and manufacture of the chemical can now only be monitored by licensed companies.
The Revenue Department of the Ministry of Finance issued the notification on March 11 making it the eighth chemical listed as a controlled substance. After discovering several of these secret laboratories, the Narcotics Control Bureau wrote to all police forces in the state last year about the need to identify them. Last year, the NCB busted more than 18 such laboratories in different states.
In a letter to police chiefs across the country, the NCB listed some red flags such as buildings with covered or blacked-out windows and surveillance cameras around the perimeter; strong odors of chemicals such as ammonia, solvents, vinegar, and cat urine; Unusual ventilation equipment or external ducts; unusually high electricity usage in the building; The presence of large quantities of household industrial chemicals; laboratory equipment, gloves, plastic containers, or discarded tubes found in the trash; Complaints from local residents about burning in the eyes, headaches or strange odors and frequent delivery of unplugged container boxes
In the latest case, three men in Telangana were manufacturing mephedrone after sourcing the chemicals from a Hyderabad businessman with a PhD in organic chemistry, who ran a chemical supply company. The drug cartel was run between different states like Karnataka, Gujarat and Telangana. Last month, at least 300 kg of the precursor chemical was recovered from Jalwar police in Rajasthan while it was being sent to one such laboratory.
