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DRI enforcement metrics overview card detailing the 2 lakh tablet seizure at Mumbai Air Cargo and Ambernath lab raid.

DRI Busts Major Psychotropic Export Syndicate: 2 Lakh Tramadol & Tapentadol Tablets Seized in Mumbai; Factory Raided in Ambernath

Mumbai, August 11, 2026 — In a major enforcement breakthrough against international narcotics smuggling, officers of the **Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)** dismantled an organized syndicate involved in the illegal manufacture and export of scheduled psychotropic substances to African nations.

Intelligence-led operations led to the interception of an air export cargo consignment at the **Mumbai Air Cargo Complex**, resulting in the seizure of **2 lakh tablets**—comprising 1 lakh Tramadol Hydrochloride tablets and 1 lakh Tapentadol tablets—weighing approximately 45 kilograms. Follow-up raids led to the discovery and dismantling of an unapproved clandestine manufacturing unit in **Ambernath, Maharashtra**, leading to the arrest of three key individuals under the NDPS Act.

Modus Operandi: Interception at Mumbai Air Cargo

According to DRI operational reports released on August 10–11, 2026, the syndicate attempted to ship the contraband under false shipping bills, misdeclaring the cargo as over-the-counter prescription medications for epilepsy and anxiety.

Customs examination teams alerted by specific intelligence opened the export packages, discovering concealed blister packs of pharmaceutical-grade Tramadol and Tapentadol manufactured without requisite statutory export permits.

Factory Raid in Ambernath & Machinery Confiscated

Based on sustained interrogation of the exporter, DRI strike teams raided an industrial shed located in the Ambernath industrial area near Thane district. Officers discovered heavy tableting machinery, raw active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), packaging foils, and chemical dyes used in illegal drug synthesis.

The facility operated without Licenses from the State Drugs Control Administration or the Narcotics Commissioner of India. All manufacturing equipment was sealed and impounded as primary evidence.

Three Arrested Under NDPS Act

The DRI arrested three core operatives involved in the chain: the Mumbai-based exporter, the master coordinator handling overseas logistics, and the chemical manufacturer operating the Ambernath plant. All three were produced before a Special NDPS Court in Mumbai and remanded to judicial custody.

DRI officials confirmed that financial intelligence units are tracing bank accounts to identify hawala money trails and international buyer networks involved in the illicit trade.

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