NCB busts illegal Captagon factory in Uttarakhand, owner arrested after Operation RAGEPILL

New Delhi: A day after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) conducted Operation RAGEPILL, the owner of the factory was arrested from Uttarakhand and produced before the magistrate. The sleuths seized sophisticated machinery, including tablet-making instruments. A total of 227.2 kg of Captagon tablets and powder were seized, and one Syrian national was arrested on Saturday.

During interrogation, the arrested Syrian disclosed that the Captagon pills recovered at Neb Sarai, New Delhi, were manufactured illicitly at Ms Green Herbal, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, in November 2025 by him, along with another Syrian accomplice, NCB said.

Based on disclosures, NCB conducted a search operation at the factory premises during May 16 night. Investigation revealed that the factory owner allegedly charged approximately ₹50,000 per day for allowing use of the facility for illicit manufacturing of the Captagon tablets.


The factory owner was found to be previously involved in two separate drug-related cases being probed by NCB and the Uttarakhand Police. Sophisticated machinery, including tablet-making units, granulation, capsule-filling, coating, sealing and blister packaging machines was found installed on the premises. Raw material and chemicals, capsules and packaging material were recovered. So far, two people have been arrested.

Captagon is the common street name historically associated with Fenethylline, a synthetic stimulant drug originally developed in the 1960s for medical treatment of attention disorders and narcolepsy. Owing to its addictive properties and abuse potential, the original pharmaceutical formulation was eventually prohibited internationally, officials said.

Most illicit Captagon tablets in illegal markets are clandestinely manufactured and contain combinations of amphetamine, caffeine, methamphetamine and other synthetic stimulants.