NEW DELHI, May 17 -- The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted an illegal Captagon manufacturing unit in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, under Operation RAZEPILL, seizing 227.2 kg of Captagon tablets and powder and arresting a Syrian national in connection with the case.
Officials said the operation was carried out following intelligence inputs received from international agencies. Forensic examination later confirmed the seized substance to be Captagon, a synthetic stimulant widely abused in parts of the Middle East.
According to investigators, the Syrian national arrested earlier in Delhi's Neb Sarai area disclosed during questioning that the drugs had been manufactured at a facility operating under the name "M/s Green Herbal" in Dehradun since November 2025. Another Syrian associate was also allegedly involved in running the operation.
Acting on the information, NCB teams conducted a late-night raid at the factory on Saturday. During the search, officials recovered sophisticated pharmaceutical machinery used for large-scale drug production, including tablet-making, granule-processing, capsule-filling, coating and blister-packaging machines. Investigators also seized raw materials, chemical compounds, empty capsules and packaging containers believed to be intended for drug distribution. Officials said evidence collection and forensic documentation continued under judicial supervision. Preliminary investigations revealed that the factory premises were allegedly being rented out for around Rs 50,000 per day for illegal manufacturing activities. Authorities are also probing financial transactions linked to the operation.
The NCB further found links between the factory owner and earlier narcotics cases investigated by Dehradun Police and the NCB's Delhi Zonal Unit.
The factory owner has also been arrested.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.