Not too far away, in Maharashtra, a company is manufacturing a banned drug, and distributing it too. This was a shocking revelation. Police first apprehended a Nigerian national in Navi Mumbai recently and later two locals. Further interrogation led them to a factory in Solapur, West Maharashtra, where the police found about Rs 2000 crores worth of the drug Ephedrine.
Ephedrine is a drug that is synthesized and use in asthma medication, to prevent low blood pressure during spinal anesthesia and other minor issues. It is banned in India due to its side effects, which include hallucinations, euphoria, hypertension etc. In fact, these side effects made it a sought after base for drugs like metamphetamine, Ecstasy. It is also used to ‘cut’ cocaine. All this probably explains the massive amounts found at the factory.
That the police found this haul of banned substances is commendable, but the relative ease at which these operations have been going on is questionable. The country is already dealing with the easy availability of drugs like MDMA, cocaine, Ecstasy, meth and more. Now that we have bases of operations where the ingredients of the drugs are being manufactured, it is time a task force is assembled to find out where else in the country these drugs are being synthesized, especially since the investigators received information that the Ephedrine was also exported to Europe. India cannot become the hub for manufacturing of illegal drugs.
