Thane: The police have seized mephedrone (MD) worth Rs 36.9 crore and arrested seven persons in an operation spanning over the last five days, involving a raid at a drug manufacturing unit at a farmhouse in Maharashtra's Palghar district, an official said on Monday.

Mephedrone is a synthetic stimulant drug of the amphetamine and cathinone classes. Slang names include drone, M-CAT, White Magic, meow meow and bubble.

The police have recovered 18,453.7 gm of the banned drug, of which 18,100 gm was seized during the raid at the manufacturing unit and lab operated from a farmhouse in Mokhada on Sunday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) MBVV police Avinash Ambure told reporters.

Liquid and powder raw materials worth Rs 2.73 lakh, chemicals worth Rs 2.59 lakh, besides vehicles, two country-made pistols, four magazines, and 14 cartridges were seized from seven accused, he said.

Based on a tip-off, the police had on October 18 raided a hotel and arrested Sunny Bharat Salekar, Vishal Godse, Deepak Dubey, and Shahbaz E and seized 251.7 gm of mephedrone, some firearms and cash, the official said.

These arrests led the police to Tanvir Nissar Ahmed Choudhary, who was apprehended with 102 gm of the contraband on Saturday and another accused Gautam Gunagar Ghosh who was also arrested on the same day, he said.

Ghosh informed the police about Chandrashekar Pinjar who operated an MD manufacturing unit at his farmhouse in Mokhada, the official said.

The police raided the premises on Sunday and seized 18,100 gm of narcotics, besides machinery and accessories, he said.

All the seven accused have offences under the Arms Act and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act to their name, the official said.

Choudhary, a resident of Bhayandar, is an event organiser, while Ghosh is a businessman and Pinjar, a civil contractor, he said.

Senior inspector Aviraj Kurhade of the Crime Unit I said the local police were carrying out further probe into the crime.