Gujarat ATS seizes Rs 107 crore-worth of illegal alprazolam from factory in Anand district

A team under the supervision of ATS SP K Siddharth and other officials raided the manufacturing unit and seized 107 kg of alprazolam, a statement from the ATS said. Six accused have been arrested in the case.

Alprazolam, which falls under the benzodiazepines class of drugs, is a tranquilising agent used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Its manufacture is highly restricted in India due to the scope of misuse, and its illegal manufacture is an offence under the Narcotics, Drugs, and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The ATS alleged that Ranjeet Dabhi, Vijay Makwana, Hemant Patel, Lalji Makwana, and Jaydeep Makwana were “manufacturing” the narcotic and “selling” it to a man named Ajay Jain. They claimed to have seized Rs 30 lakh given by Jain to Dabhi.

While Dabhi runs his own trading company Satyam Traders, the other four accused manufacturers were colleagues at a company named Krishank Pharma in Khambhat, the statement added.

It also said that Jain had earlier been convicted of manufacturing alprazolam and sentenced to 16 years in prison, having been booked by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) which falls under the CBIC.

Further investigation into the case is underway.