A total of 500 kg of Tramadol was recovered from a warehouse in an industrial estate near Dholka in Ahmedabad
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has seized opioid pain-reliever Tramadol worth approximately £372,000 from a warehouse owned by a trader recently arrested for allegedly manufacturing the sedative drug alprazolam without a license.
According to PTI, the ATS had on January 24 raided a factory near Khambhat in Anand district and A total of 107 kg of alprazolam, valued at £9.9 million, was seized during the operation.
Six people, including trader Ranjit Dabhi, were arrested, the news agency said citing an official release.
During his interrogation, Dabhi allegedly confessed to storing 500 kg of Tramadol at a warehouse in an industrial estate near Dholka in Ahmedabad district without the necessary permits.
On Monday night, an ATS team raided the godown and recovered 500 kg of Tramadol, which were valued at around £372,000.
Tramadol, typically used as a painkiller, is classified as a psychotropic substance and its sale is regulated strictly as it can be misused as a mind-altering drug.
The unauthorised production or sale of Tramadol is an offence under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
Alongside the drug, the ATS also seized nearly 50,000 packing boxes and six rolls of packing foil.
The investigation was ongoing to trace the source of the drug.
The ATS also said that Dabhi and four others had rented a factory near Khambhat town to manufacture alprazolam, a substance commonly used for making sleeping pills.
Ajay Jain, one of the accused, bought the drug from Dabhi and others and sold it to his clients.
The seized 107 kg of alprazolam has the potential to produce nearly 420 million tablets, each containing 0.25 grams of the substance.
The ATS added that the seized stock of of alprazolam (107 kg) could be used to produce nearly 420 million tablets, each containing 0.25 grams of the substance.
Sukhi Basra