In a significant blow to synthetic drug manufacturing, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a clandestine factory producing Alprazolam, a psychotropic substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, in a sparsely populated area off Gujarat State Highway (SH) 701 in Valsad. Codenamed ‘Operation White Cauldron’, the raid led to the seizure of Alprazolam worth Rs 22 crore and the arrest of four people, including the masterminds — financiers and manufacturers — as well as the intended recipient of the drug.

Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers conducted discreet surveillance on the facility. On Tuesday, a swift and coordinated raid uncovered a full-scale illegal manufacturing unit. Authorities seized 9.55 kg of finished Alprazolam, 104.15 kg in semi-finished form, and 431 kg of raw materials, including key chemicals such as p-Nitrochlorobenzene, Phosphorous Pentasulfide, Ethyl Acetate, and Hydrochloric Acid. Industrial-scale processing equipment, including reactors, a centrifuge, a refrigeration unit, and heating mantles, were also confiscated.