MUMBAI, Jan. 12 -- At first glance, it looked like an ordinary tin shed, a makeshift structure that would have blended into the surrounding scrubland if not for its striking blue colour. The shed, in Karanja, 60km from Wardha in Maharashtra's eastern Vidarbha region, was being watched closely by a team from the Mumbai unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), on December 7, as they prepared to storm it a few hours later. What they found inside took them by surprise. They discovered a fully-functional, synthetic drug-processing set-up for the illicit manufacture of mephedrone or MD, a banned psychotropic substance. The DRI team seized 128kg of the drug worth Rs.192 crore, as well as 245kg of chemicals and raw material essential for its synthesis. Just eight months earlier, the Mumbai unit of the DRI had, in a similar operation, busted another MD-making factory in a remote, hilly area in Latur in the Marathwada region of the state. These are only two of five illicit facilities producing narcotics busted by the DRI in recent times. In the five factory busts, the DRI, seized MD worth Rs.301 crore and alprazolam worth Rs.45.88 crore, and arrested 27 persons. The DRI's Mumbai unit busted five factories in 2025. The DRI has identified Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh as hotspots for the illegal manufacture of MD and alprazolam, a prescription pharmaceutical drug used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. In 2024 alone, the DRI dismantled five such facilities in Maharashtra. These facilities are often located in secluded areas, industrial areas, residential locations, and repurposed commercial spaces, officials said. Factory busts help uncover wider trafficking networks and supply chains, both domestic and global. India has a well-developed and large chemical and pharmaceutical industry, providing easy access to the precursor chemicals required for synthetic drug production, officials said. In recent years, there has been a rise in the unauthorised manufacture of synthetic drugs, often operated by drug cartels, across the country, according to the DRI. An illegal, MD-manufacturing facility was busted in a remote, hilly area in Rohina village in Latur district, in Maharashtra. The DRI seized 11.36kg of the narcotic, worth Rs.17 crore, large quantities of raw materials and laboratory equipment used to manufacture the substance. Five individuals, including a police constable, allegedly directly involved in making the contraband, were arrested. Later, two more individuals, the alleged financier and distributor, were apprehended in Mumbai. As part of an inter-state operation across Maharashtra, MP, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, the DRI busted a mephedrone-manufacturing facility in Bhopal and arrested seven key operatives of the syndicate. The operation, known as 'Crystal Break', led to the seizure of 61.20 kg of mephedrone (in liquid form) valued at Rs.92 crore. In addition, 541.53kg of raw materials and equipment were seized. Two individuals responsible, including a chemist, were apprehended while they were in the process of making the drug. Later, a key member of the drug cartel was arrested in Basti, Uttar Pradesh. He would oversee the supply of raw materials from Bhiwandi in Thane district to Bhopal. Two suppliers, who illegally provided the chemicals, were arrested in Mumbai. A total of seven arrests were made. In a multi-city operation, the DRI seized 119.4kg of alprazolam, worth Rs.23.88 crore, at an illegal facility in Atchutapuram, in Anakapalli district, in Andhra Pradesh. Eight persons linked to the facility were arrested. The alprazolam was to be transported to Telangana to adulterate toddy. An alprazolam manufacturing facility was busted in a sparsely populated area, off a Gujarat state highway, in Valsad. Alprazolam worth Rs.22 crore was seized and four persons were arrested, including the alleged masterminds and intended recipient from Telangana. The agency suspects that the illegal narcotic drug was to be supplied in Telangana, primarily for mixing with the toddy. In an operation known as 'Operation Hinterland Brew', the DRI busted an illicit MD-making factory and seized 128kg of the drug worth Rs.192 crore. Three people were arrested, including the alleged mastermind Mephedrone and alprazolam are all the rage on the party circuit for their mind-altering effects. "They are believed to produce effects similar to cocaine and amphetamine, accounting for their increasing popularity," said a DRI official. Unlike traditional narcotics such as opiates or cannabis, psychotropic substances like MD pose a modern threat to India's anti-drug efforts as its domestic production, rising urban demand, and misuse of digital platforms for distribution make enforcement particularly challenging, said the official....