Three held with narcotics: Probe on to know source of raw material

BHOPAL: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is probing how one of the three people arrested for carrying a narcotic substance was allegedly able to manufacture it in an Indore factory and how the accused got the supply of the raw material, an official said on Sunday.

The official, who did not want to be named, said the accused had rented the top floor of a twostorey building in an industrial area. The department suspects that 59-year-old Mohammad Sadiq, one of those arrested, manufactured the substance in the building and smuggled a small quantity out of the country, he said. However, there was no official statement.

The department has arrested three people, including a Mexican national, for allegedly possessing over 10 kg of fentanyl hydrochloride that is estimated to be worth over Rs 100 crore in the international market. A court has sent Jorge Solis, 43, and Indore residents Sadiq and Manu Gupta to DRI custody till October 5.

Fentanyl hydrochloride is the salt form of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid with pain-relieving and anaesthetic properties. It is classified as a drug under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

A senior official in Indore police, who too spoke on the condition of anonymity, said DRI had sought the police’s help in the probe. “We have discussed the issue and are doing all that we can to help,” he said.