Drug with potential to kill 4-5 million people seized in Indore, Chemist arrested

New Delhi, 30 Sep 2018 [Fik/News Sources]: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), with the help of a team of scientists from Defence Research and Development Establishment, busted an illegal laboratory in Indore and seized 9 kg of a deadly synthetic opioid, Fentanyl, that could have potentially killed 4-5 million people.

Run by a local businessman and a “US-hating PhD scholar chemist”, the Fentanyl seizure, first in India, has raised security concerns in Delhi as the chemical can cause large-scale casualties if used in chemical warfare.

The "scholar chemist" along with a Mexican national have been arrested. The operation leading to the seizure of the deadly chemical and arrest of the two ran over a week, according to The Times of India.

 
What is Fentanyl
Fentanyl - also spelled Fentanil and called sometimes as "Doomsday Drug", is an opioid used as a pain medication and together with other medications for anesthesia. Fentanyl is also made illegally and used as a recreational drug, often mixed with heroin or cocaine. It has a rapid onset and effects generally last less than an hour or two.

“Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and even inhaling its particles can be fatal. This is the first significant seizure of Fentanyl by any law enforcement agency in India. It is a landmark and unique seizure as DRI has been able to thwart first attempts to manufacture this toxic drug in India,” said D P Dash, DG, DRI.

A 100 times stronger than morphine, the value of the narcotic seized is Rs 110 crore. Usually Fentanyl is trafficked by drug syndicates to US where it fetches a high street price and is sold as pills mixed with other chemicals.

The discovery has baffled scientists because manufacturing the drug requires the kind of expertise which is available only to trained scientists and high-end research laboratories. It is a controlled substance used with other medication for anaesthesia and pain relief.

The drug spreads easily. Absorbed through the skin or inhaled accidentally, just 2mg two milligrams of Fentanyl is enough to kill a person.

Meanwhile, a team of experienced scientists dealing with protection against chemical and biological warfare were called from the DRDE, a defence laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), to confirm and authenticate the seizure of Fentanyl last week, according to The Times of India report.