Maharashtra ANTF busts ₹55cr drug racket in Bengaluru
The Maharashtra Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) just took down a major mephedrone (MD) drug syndicate operating out of Bengaluru.
In coordinated raids, officers seized 21.4kg of MD (both solid and liquid forms), plus machinery and chemicals—altogether worth nearly ₹56 crore.
The busted network was allegedly supplying drugs across several Indian states.
How the operation unfolded
It all kicked off on December 21 with a Navi Mumbai arrest—Abdul Qadir Rashid Shaikh was caught carrying over a kilo of MD, leading investigators to the syndicate's suspected mastermind, Prashant Yallappa Patil from Belagavi.
Two more men from Rajasthan confessed to running illegal labs in different parts of Bengaluru, which helped police locate and demolish three secret manufacturing units on the spot.
Four people are now in custody while Patil and another accused remain on the run. Authorities say profits were funneled into Bengaluru real estate, and the investigation is still ongoing under ANTF chief Sharda Raut's watch.