The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has dismantled a clandestine facility engaged in the illegal manufacture of Alprazolam, a psychotropic substance regulated under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, in the Kondapalli Industrial Development Area of NTR district, Andhra Pradesh.
The intelligence-led operation, codenamed “Operation White Hammer”, was carried out on March 11 and 12, 2026. Officials discovered a fully operational industrial setup producing Alprazolam while posing as a chemical manufacturing unit.
During searches at the premises, officers seized 237 kg of Alprazolam, estimated to have a market value of about ₹47 crore. Investigators also recovered more than 800 kg of key raw materials and 2,860 litres of chemicals used in the manufacturing process.
Authorities said the unit was equipped with industrial-scale machinery including reactors, driers and a centrifuge, indicating an organised and large-scale illicit drug manufacturing operation.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the operation was allegedly orchestrated by a chemist with over two decades of experience in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. He was reportedly assisted by an associate who arranged raw materials and handled distribution through Hyderabad. The factory premises had been rented specifically to manufacture the psychotropic substance.
Both alleged masterminds have been arrested.
DRI officials said that during the current financial year, the agency has dismantled eight clandestine drug manufacturing units through intelligence-based operations. The agency stated that the actions are part of ongoing efforts aligned with the government’s Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan aimed at combating the production and trafficking of narcotic and psychotropic substances.
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