Drugs worth Rs 100-crore seized from Solapur factory

Crime Branch Unit 09 team at drug factory at Solapur MIDC with Sr PI Daya Nayak

The Mumbai Crime Branch's Unit 09 recently dismantled a sprawling factory spanning 21,000 square feet in the MIDC Solapur area, which was found to be producing the synthetic drug Mephedrone (MD) on a large scale.

The factory, reportedly managed by accused brothers Atul Kishan Gawli and Rahul Kishan Gawli, was capable of churning out 5 kg of Mephedrone at a single time, valued at Rs 10 crore. The raid resulted in the seizure of 8 kg of Mephedrone worth Rs 16 crore, alongside 60 kg of semi-processed drugs estimated at Rs 100 crore.

According to DCP Raj Tilak Roushan, the brothers had been surreptitiously operating under the guise of a chemical company called Shree Shenky Chemicals Pvt Ltd, leasing the property from a landlord for a fraction of its true worth. Further investigations have revealed potential connections to a person in Hyderabad, suspected of being involved in the distribution and processing of the drugs.

The factory, reportedly managed by accused brothers Atul Kishan Gawli and Rahul Kishan Gawli, was capable of churning out 5 kg of Mephedrone at a single time

The arrested are directors of the company and the wanted accused in Hyderabad has been identified as Edigi Ramagoud, who is an additional director of Shree Shenky Chemical Pvt Ltd. Efforts are underway to apprehend the individual. The police are also looking into the landlord's possible involvement in the drug trade, given the significantly reduced rent he was charging.

Gawli was initially apprehended from Carter Road before the uncovering of their Solapur operation. It is believed that the brothers orchestrated the entire operation, from production to distribution, to avoid detection by the law enforcement agencies.