NCB asks police chiefs to alert beat officers about drug labs

Hindustan Times

4 hours ago

Concerned over India emerging as a major hub for clandestine laboratories manufacturing synthetic drugs such as amphetamine, methamphetamine and ecstasy pills, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has asked police chiefs of all states and Union territories to alert their beat officers about the red flags to identify such laboratories in their respective areas.
The nodal drug law enforcement and intelligence agency has also asked the states and UTs to educate the public about such red flags of suspicious laboratories in their localities.
'The emergence of synthetic drugs such as mephedrone, methamphetamine, MDMA, etc pose a growing threat to public health and national security. Unlike traditional narcotic crops, synthetic drugs which are more addictive and harmful to health can be produced entirely from chemical precursors, often in concealed laboratories that mimic legitimate industrial or residential setups,' NCB director general Anurag Garg said in a communique to the director generals of police (DGPs) of states and UTs last week.
Law enforcement experience in India, Garg said, reveals that these illegal manufacturing units mostly operate discreetly in leased premises in industrial areas or isolated locations and use precursor chemicals, many of which are used in legitimate industry. 'Often, there is a well organised syndicate which runs such establishments and members are past narco-offenders who bring in chemists also in the syndicate, as manufacturing drugs is a highly skilled job,' he added.
'It is vital that beat constables, field officers and SHO level officials are made aware of the emerging threat of synthetic drugs and trained to observe early warning signs and respond appropriately. From the experience gained from investigation of clandestine lab cases, it can be concluded that personnel must remain alert to the red flags about possible existence of clandestine laboratories during patrols or intelligence gathering,' Garg added.
NCB listed some of the red flags, which include buildings with covered or blacked-out windows and CCTV around the perimeter; strong odours of chemical like ammonia, solvents, vinegar, cat urine; unusual ventilation equipment or external ducting; unusual high electricity usage in a premises; presence of large quantities of household of industrial chemicals; discarded lab equipment, gloves, plastic containers or tubing found in garbage; complaints from locals about burning eyes, headaches or strange smells; frequent deliveries of unlabelled boxes of containers, often in small trucks; and residents of such premises showing signs of paranoia, evasiveness or denying access.
Garg stressed that no premature raids should be carried out but beat officers must discreetly inform supervisory officers and alert the local NCB unit. 'Since it is an emerging threat about which police officers need to be educated, it is requested that briefing sessions may be conducted during monthly crime meetings of district SP and during roll calls of SHO of police stations. The public can be educated to report suspicious activity to the police station,' the letter added.
In January this year, Union home minister Amit Shah had urged states to destroy illegal clandestine labs, pointing out that 'at least 50 illegal labs have been caught across the country'.
Last October, NCB busted a clandestine methamphetamine manufacturing laboratory in Noida allegedly linked to members of the Mexican drug cartel — Cartel De Jalisco Nueva Generacion.
Officials said that NCB alone has busted nine such labs till date while police departments in various states have also unearthed similar facilities in the last couple of years.
According to a latest United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, India has become an important transit and destination point for methamphetamine, particularly from Myanmar. In 2024, law enforcement agencies in the country seized 8.2 tonnes of ATS, most of which were believed to be methamphetamine, marking a 500% increase compared to 2020.