Surat Lab Turns Drug Factory, SOG Busts MD Racket

Surat | Gujarat — The Special Operation Group (SOG) of Surat city police have arrested Brijesh Vrajlal Bhalodia, 28, employed as senior lab technician at the Surat-based Aether Industries,a leading manufacturer of advanced intermediates and active ingredients for the pharmaceutical, material science, agrochemical along with two of his accomplices in connection with the international drugs racket. The SOG raided a food testing laboratory in city’s Parvat Patiya area where the accused were manufacturing high purity ‘blue crystal mephedrone’ drug on the behest of the mastermind identified as Janak Jadani who is operating from London. 

The police have arrested the main mastermind of the drug manufacturing Brijesh Vrajlal Bhalodia (age 28), who is himself a senior lab technician. Along with him, drug suppliers Khushal Vallabhbhai Ranpariya (age 27) and Bharatbhai alias Bhano Damjibhai Lathia (age 32) have also been arrested. Brijesh  used to misuse his chemical knowledge to prepare high-quality mephedrone, which was sold in the market at the behest of a London-based handler.

All the accused working in the drug factory are students and have studied chemistry. The other two accused are students of Maliba College, who have obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry. The mastermind of this entire racket is Janak Jagani, who is currently living in London. Since Janak himself is a chemistry student, he knew which non-prohibited chemicals can be used to make banned MD drugs.

Police have recovered drugs, chemicals and equipment and seized a total of Rs. 2.92 lakh worth of items.  Investigation has revealed that these educated drug manufacturers had made more than 5 kg of drugs in the last two months and sold them for lakhs of rupees through social media to ruin the youth’s health in Surat.

The case became a highlight for the SOG when SOG caught 21-year-old Jill Bhupatbhai Thummar from Amroli Chhaprabhatha Road with 236.780 grams of MD drugs on January 1, 2026. During strict interrogation of Jill, a shocking confession came to light that these drugs did not come from any other state, but were prepared in a private laboratory within Surat city. After this fact came to light, the scope of the investigation was expanded by forming separate teams of SOG.

While investigating inside the lab, the police found modern machinery and chemicals, which were used to prepare high purity crystal mephedrone drugs. This lab, which was running in the name of food testing, was actually proven to be a big drugs manufacturing unit.

The accused were making a special type of ‘blue colored MD drugs’ in the lab. According to the police, these are in high demand at high-level parties. Drug mafias give it a blue color by adding a certain chemical process or color. This is a kind of ‘branding’, so that customers think that this is a ‘super quality’ or ‘premium’ drug. Blue meth was shown in a famous web series. Since then, ‘Blue Crystal’ has been considered extremely powerful in the drug market and its price is also being charged more.

The accused have admitted during interrogation that in the last two months, they have made and sold more than 5 kg of drugs by renting a lab for Rs 10,000. The market value of which is in lakhs, because they used to sell 1 gram of drugs for Rs 5000. These drug mafias used to use social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat instead of traditional methods for sale, so that they could escape the police’s attention. However, the SOG team has exposed this nexus after a watch for the last four months.

Currently, the police have started strict action against all these accused under the NDPS Act.