Mephedrone, among drugs worth ₹12 crore, seized near Hunsur

In a major breakthrough that brought forth the alarming spread of narcotics into rural pockets, the Mysuru District Police have busted a drug racket operating out of a farmhouse near Hunsur town, seizing contraband worth an estimated ₹12 crore.

The raid, described as the biggest drug seizure in the district so far, comes amid an intensified crackdown by the Mysuru City Police on drug peddling networks, which appears to have pushed the drug trade into the surrounding rural areas.

Acting on a tip-off, Hunsur Police raided a farm at Aspatre Kaval, Dasanapura, within the Hunsur Rural Police Station limits, and arrested two accused — Mohammad Irfan, 30, from Siddique Mohalla in Mysuru and Mohammad Irfan, 42, from Rahamat Mohalla in Hunsur.

Superintendent of Police Mallikarjuna Baladandi said that the police have recovered 7.35 kgs of Mephedrone (a synthetic stimulant drug) along with 48 kgs of narcotic substances, including 41 kgs of drug precursor materials. The drugs were stored in 16 different packets.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the farm, reportedly belonging to the Hunsur-based accused, was being used to store raw materials for synthetic drugs. The police clarified that there was no evidence of manufacturing at the site. Instead, the substances were allegedly repackaged and distributed from the location.

“The district police have been closely tracking drug peddling and consumption. Over the past few months, more than 77 cases have been registered for the same. We received specific information about suspicious activity in a shed on farmland near Hunsur, which led to this raid and the busting of the racket,” Mr. Baladandi said.

A case has been registered at Hunsur Police Station, and the police are investigating the potential connections of the accused to a larger network.

The Hunsur drug haul highlights a shifting pattern in the narcotics trade, with rural areas being used as ‘safe zones’ following intensified enforcement in Mysuru city. Notably, the Narcotics Control Bureau had earlier, in January this year, busted a major inter-State drug trafficking syndicate and a clandestine manufacturing unit in Mysuru. That operation is believed to have triggered sustained enforcement drives across industrial areas and city centres.