Excise officials arrested Kasthur Reddy Nemallapudi, Director, K. Sudhakar Reddy, Production Manager and G. Venkateswarlu, Quality Control Incharge for illicit drug manufacturing unit.
3-MMC drug exported to European countries
HYDERABAD, MARCH 22, 2024: In a major breakthrough, Drugs Control Administration, Telangana carried out a joint operation along with Prohibition & Excise Department on the basis of an alert from INTERPOL and successfully busted illegal manufacturing of the Psychotropic Substance ‘3-Methylmethcathinone (3-MMC)’ at PSN Medicare Private Ltd. in IDA Bollaram, Sangareddy District on Thursday and Friday.
‘3-Methylmethcathinone’ which is also known as ‘3-MMC’ or ‘Metaphedrone’ is a drug of abuse which is circulating on the market and is used recreationally by drug addicts.
Kasthur Reddy Nemallapudi Director of PSN Medicare Private Ltd. located in IDA Bollaram manufactured the drug of abuse ‘3-MMC’ and also exported huge quantities to Europe. The officials seized the stock of quantity 90.48 Kgs of YLV01 (code name) powder worth Rs. 8.99 Crores.
On verification of the orders received by Kasthur Reddy Nemallapudi from several foreign nations and the sale transactions carried out by him, it has been found that the material manufactured under code name ‘YLV01’ is chemically “2-(methylamino)-1-(3- methylphenyl)propan-1-one”.
The chemical name 2-(methylamino)-1-(3- methylphenyl)propan-1-one pertains to an illicit drug 3-Methylmethcathinone, popularly known as 3-MMC which is listed under Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) as a ‘Psychotropic Substance’ and its manufacturing and sale is prohibited under NDPS Act.
Kasthur Reddy Nemallapudi has been manufacturing and supplying the illicit drug 3-Methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) under the chemical name 2-(methylamino)-1-(3- methylphenyl)propan-1-one. Officials detected that Kasthur Reddy Nemallapudi also exported 3-Methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) to European nations.
Kasthur Reddy Nemallapudi has been manufacturing designer drugs such as 3-Methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) and 2-Methylmethcathinone (2-MMC), which are structural isomers of Mephedrone 4-Methylmethcathinone (4-MMC), that have been designed to mimic the effects of the drug Mephedrone, with an intention to avoid classification as illegal (to circumvent drug abuse laws) and/or detection in standard drug tests. However 3-Methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) is recently classified as a Psychotropic Substance under NDPS Act.
3-MMC which is closely related in structure to the illicit drug mephedrone (4-MMC), was first identified being sold in Sweden in 2012 and is also illegal in most countries that have banned Mephedrone, including India. However, 3-MMC is illegally traded on the recreational drug market as an alternative to Mephedrone. There were reports that it was being imported into Europe in bulk quantities, mainly from India. Hence it is prohibited under NDPS Act in India by classifying it as a ‘Psychotropic Substance’.
3-MMC is a strong stimulant recreational drug. There are reports that 3-MMC has stronger amphetamine-like stimulant properties compared to Mephedrone and mostly sold on the internet as a “research chemical”. This novel designer drug is usually found in the form of white powder or crystals. The most frequently used routes of administration of 3-MMC are insufflation (snorting) and through oral route, either as capsules or powder wrapped in cigarette paper (referred to as “bombing”). Inhalation and intravenous injection are also used.
Officers from Drugs Control Administration viz. Assistant Director P. Ramu and Drugs Inspectors B. Lakshminarayana, M. Chandrasekhar, G. Anil, Ch. Karthik Siva Chaitanya & Officers from Prohibition and Excise Department viz. Assistant Excise Superintendent J. Jeevan Kiran and Excise Inspectors A. Subhash Chander Rao and A. Balaraju and their staff are among the officers who carried out the raid.
Prohibition and Excise officials seized the stock of 3-MMC of quantity 90.48 Kgs of worth Rs. 8.99 Crores during the raid. Prohibition and Excise Department officers arrested Kasthur Reddy Nemallapudi, Director, K. Sudhakar Reddy, Production Manager and G. Venkateswarlu, Quality Control Incharge for illicit drug manufacturing. A case has been registered in Patancheru Excise Station vide COR No. 35/2024 dated: 21-03-2024 under Section 8(c) r/w 22(c) of NDPS Act.
