NEW DELHI,16 March 2026 : The Centre has taken a significant step against widely used synthetic drug ‘Meow-Meow’, listing a specific chemical used in its making as a controlled substance.
2-Bromo-4-Methylpropiophenone is the chemical that drug cartels use to manufacture the drug known as mephedrone, which has the street name ‘Meow-Meow’ or ‘Drone.’ The government will now maintain strict surveillance over the procurement, sale, production and usage of this chemical.
Given the rapidly rising demand for this drug, traffickers were setting up small, clandestine laboratories to produce it. According to officials, drug cartels frequently sought the assistance of chemistry students or experts. Utilising their chemical knowledge, they were able to synthesise Mephedrone through a relatively simple chemical process. This explains why the drug was being produced rapidly, even in small-scale laboratories, and why its distribution network was expanding at such a rapid pace.
Raids by police and narcotics agencies at numerous locations were conducted over several years. Investigations revealed that the proliferation of such laboratories was accelerating in states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana. To operate these laboratories, traffickers frequently utilised warehouses, farmhouses or rented residential properties to avoid arousing suspicion among local residents.
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