Uttarakhand Police Busts Drug Factory Raised In Poultry Farm

Uttarakhand Police Busts Drug Factory Raised In Poultry Farm

In a significant breakthrough under the “Drugs-Free Devbhoomi” initiative led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Uttarakhand Police has dismantled a major interstate and international drug syndicate. The State Task Force (STF), in coordination with local police units and Nepalese authorities, arrested the main accused, Kunal Kohli, from Nanakmatta. Kohli was found running an MDMA drug manufacturing operation disguised as poultry farms in the districts of Champawat and Pithoragarh.

During the raid, police seized 7.41 grams of finished MDMA, 28 kilograms of raw drug powder, and 126 liters of precursor chemicals including Dichloromethane, Acetone, Hydrochloric Acid, Methylamine, and Sodium Hydroxide—all strictly regulated under the NDPS Act. According to officials, the chemicals seized could have produced approximately 6 kilograms of MDMA, with an estimated international market value of ₹12 crore.

Investigations revealed that the drug production units were strategically set up under the cover of poultry businesses in rented farms at Banbasa and Suwalekh. The syndicate sourced raw materials illegally from companies in Ghaziabad, Varanasi, and Thane, which are now under official scrutiny.

Several accomplices—Monu Gupta, Bheem Yadav, Aman Kohli, and Rahul’s wife Isha—had already been arrested in previous raids. Isha was found in possession of 5.6 kg of MDMA. Notably, Kunal Kohli has three prior NDPS cases registered against him in Mumbai.

The investigation traced links to an earlier drug seizure in Thane on May 31, where meth balls worth ₹2 crore per kg were recovered. Following this lead, a raid was conducted at a poultry farm in Pithoragarh, uncovering the production unit and resulting in multiple arrests. Further, in September 2024, authorities had flagged a lab in Tanakpur due to suspicious chemical odors, suggesting that this network had been active for months under the radar.

The accused had been smuggling chemicals disguised as poultry feed to avoid detection. Preliminary reports also indicate a connection to the Mumbai underworld, with one of the farm owners, Ramesh Jinwal, allegedly linked to organized crime networks.

Uttarakhand Police has intensified its crackdown across the state, identifying 44 units suspected of handling precursor chemicals and 172 pharmaceutical units under review for possible violations related to Schedule-H drugs. Police stations have been equipped with on-the-spot drug detection kits to improve field inspections.

DGP Dipam Seth commended the joint efforts and announced a ₹1 lakh reward for the investigating team. He emphasized that this operation marks a major step toward eliminating narcotics from the state, with targeted actions under PIT-NDPS provisions and a broader strategy focusing on drug supply, distribution, and money laundering networks.

The success of this operation highlights the growing capability of Uttarakhand’s law enforcement in dismantling organized narcotics syndicates and reaffirms the government’s commitment to making the state drug-free.