The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has dismantled two clandestine synthetic drug laboratories in village Jahanabad Kadalpur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, recovering nearly 380 kg of amphetamine-containing material and precursor chemicals with an estimated illicit market value of Rs 45 crore.
The intelligence-led operation, codenamed Operation Crystal Hunt, took place on 16 October 2026. Announcing the NCB’s well-coordinated operation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah wrote on X, “The NCB has achieved a major milestone by busting two clandestine drug laboratories in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
The operation led to the seizure of huge quantities of synthetic drugs, drug precursors and equipment, and the arrest of two individuals, including one foreign national. It is a remarkable example of intelligence-led enforcement and a testament to our unwavering commitment to dismantling drug cartels before December 2029, in line with the Vision Document on Narcotics Control 2026-2029, adopted under Modi Ji’s Mission for Nashamukt Bharat.”
Based on specific information, NCB teams raided two rented locations that had been turned into synthetic drug manufacturing and processing units. Officers found 379.740 kg of amphetamine-containing material in three forms: 4.260 kg of crystals, 157.700 kg of semi-crystalline material, and 217.780 kg of liquid. They also seized 10 kg of pseudoephedrine, which is a key ingredient. Early estimates suggest the crystalline and semi-crystalline material could produce about 56 kg of finished crystalline amphetamine.
Officers also found large amounts of chemicals needed to make methamphetamine, such as hydrochloric acid, acetone, toluene, sulphuric acid, and potassium permanganate. The sites had major chemical-processing equipment, including large heating mantles, glass reaction vessels, storage drums, filtration systems, weighing scales, respirators, and other lab tools used for industrial-scale drug production.
Two people were arrested. One of them (who called himself Dumbiri) said he was Ms Lallawmzuali (Olivia Lalchawimawii from Mizoram). Immigration records show that this individual entered India in January 2020 as Francis Kalokoh (a Sierra Leonean citizen) on a tourist visa that expired in December 2020. Multiple identities are a real issue for investigators.
The DRI picked up the second accused, Olivia, in Goa in March 2026. At the time of her arrest, they found 313 grams of heroin (in the form of a powder) in her checked baggage at Dabolim airport. That is a commercial quantity. It comes after the NCB’s operation in October 2024 in the Kasna Industrial Area of the same district, where about 95.5 kg of synthetic drugs in solid and liquid forms were seized. That investigation found possible links to the Mexican cartel Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and five people, including a Mexican national, were arrested. Investigators are now reviewing financial records, chemical supply networks, and distribution channels tied to the Jahanabad Kadalpur labs to identify facilitators and associates, including possible links across states and countries.
NCB officials say illegal synthetic drug labs present two main hazards. They increase the local supply of potent stimulants and generate untreated chemical waste that pollutes soil, drains, and watercourses. The labs are often located in rented houses, industrial units, or other standard buildings. Appealed to landlords, property dealers, housing societies, Resident Welfare Associations, and security personnel to report suspicious indicators, unusual chemical odours, frequent movement or storage of chemical drums and laboratory equipment, or irregular disposal of chemical waste to the National Narcotics Helpline MANAS at 1933.