The huge haul of over 900 kg of drug—Mephedrone (MD)—from the outskirts of the state capital underscores an equally massive lapse on the part of the city police and administration, as they were caught unawares.The raids at a manufacturing facility in the Bagroda industrial area were carried out in a joint operation by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Narcotics Control Bureau, Delhi, on a tip-off from drug dealers arrested in Gujarat and New Delhi. The two agencies conducted the raids without informing the local police, as they suspected that the local police may have been involved in the massive drug operation, which had the capacity to produce 25 kg of the illicit substance every day. The joint raid party chose not to involve the local crime branch either and did not inform the city investigators of their plans.Officials at the local police station were left shocked when sleuths from the joint operations team arrived with the entire seized contraband, estimated at a staggering Rs 1,814 crore on the streets. When contacted, City Police Chief Harinarayana Chari Mishra remained unavailable to comment on the mammoth failure of his team and did not answer his mobile phone.The illicit drug operation—located in Bagroda, where a new industrial area has come up as part of the state governments industrial push—is being described as the largest-ever MD production facility discovered by the agencies. A total of 907.09 kg of the banned party drug was seized in both liquid and solid forms, along with raw materials, chemicals, and manufacturing paraphernalia. The news of the raid, resulting in the largest-ever seizure of contraband drugs in the state, has sent shockwaves through the city administration. The silence from official channels has given rise to speculation over the supply and consumption locations for an operation of this scale. City dwellers and media personnel were left wondering if the confiscated drugs were meant for use in Madhya Pradesh and Bhopal.Many questioned if such an operation could have gone unnoticed by the police, given that law enforcers have such a massive presence in the city, visible at every street corner. Speaking anonymously, police officials have said that they are not authorized to check factory premises as they fall under a different department. It is surprising that the movement of such large quantities of contraband could have gone unnoticed by their watchful eyes.Critics say that the police are merely attempting to shirk responsibility, as they do check illegal felling and transport of illicit wood, even though that responsibility lies with the forest department. They also regularly check and control the transport and sale of illicit liquor, while the excise department is assigned that responsibility.Police claims aside, it is common knowledge that the drug business in the city has grown exponentially over the last couple of decades, and various kinds of illicit substances are available to users. While the police often indulge in patting themselves on the back over the discovery of meager quantities, they have yet to order a large and sustained operation against those involved in the business at the cost of young lives that they destroy irreparably for the sake of profits.

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