EAGLE Team Seizes Rs 72-cr Ephedrine Haul in Hyderabad
The substance, misused as a party drug, was allegedly manufactured at PNM Life Sciences in IDA Bolaram
Hyderabad: The Elite Action Group for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) seized 220 kg of ephedrine worth Rs 72 crore during a raid on a flat in Springfield Colony near Suchitra crossroads early Thursday. The substance, misused as a party drug, was allegedly manufactured at PNM Life Sciences in IDA Bolaram.
Police arrested apartment resident Vastavayi Shiva Ramakrishna Parama Varma, 52, an official at PNM Life Sciences, along with production manager Dangeti Anil, director Venkata Krishna Rao and Musini Dorababu, a production operator at Vignasai Laboratories. Another PNM director, M. Prasad, is absconding. All of them are natives of Andhra Pradesh.
Investigators said Venkata Krishna Rao and Prasad had set up PNM Life Sciences and conspired with Varma and Anil in December 2024 to produce ephedrine. Raw materials, including sodium hydroxide flakes, hydrochloric acid, acetic acid and sodium borohydride, were procured and processed using a formula provided by Varma.
Police said Varma had been earlier arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau in 2017 by the Bengaluru unit for possessing 250 kg of amphetamine, and in 2019 by the Hyderabad unit for 10 kg of alprazolam. Both are used as recreational drugs.
According to police, Varma lured the PNM owners with the promise of heavy commissions, leading them to approve the illegal production. The gang began scouting for buyers before coming under EAGLE surveillance. The team raided Varma’s residence in Jeedimetla and later seized the PNM manufacturing unit along with lease deeds, board meeting minutes, and bank records. The accused, along with 220 kg of ephedrine and four mobile phones, were produced before the court for judicial remand.
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Ephedrine is medically used as a central nervous system stimulant in certain conditions.
It causes severe side effects, including anxiety, insomnia and loss of appetite.
Its qualities as a stimulant has resulted in its use in recreational drugs.
It can be chemically converted into methamphetamine, multiplying its street value tenfold.
