Chennai college students arrested for running crystal meth lab at home

Chennai police busted a meth lab and arrested seven students who had set it up in their house under the guise of academic research.

In Short

• Seven students arrested for cooking crystal meth in Chennai
• Police seized 250 g of meth during the raid, prompted by a tip-off
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister raises concern over synthetic drug issues in state

Seven college students were arrested by the Chennai police for setting up an illegal lab to manufacture methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth. The accused had used the pretext of academic research to assemble the lab equipment, sourced from Parrys Corner, at one of their homes.

The Anti-Drug Intelligence Unit, acting on a tip-off, raided the lab and seized 250 g of crystal meth, believed to be intended for comparison with their product. Amongst the seven arrested, they were identified as Fleming Francis, Naveen, Pravin Pranav, Kishore, Gnanapandian, Arun Kumar, and Dhanush, Pravin, Dhanush, Kishore, and Naveen had completed their robotics engineering courses, while Gnanapandian held a master's degree in chemistry. Their plan to produce and sell the highly addictive drug was foiled by the police, who had been monitoring drug-peddler's movements in the city.

The arrest came at a time when Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi expressed concerns about the state’s efforts in combating synthetic drugs. He recently criticised law enforcement for their inefficiency in handling synthetic drug trafficking, despite several ganja seizures.

In response to the growing drug menace, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also released a video message urging youth to avoid drug addiction. “As one amongst your family and standing in a father’s position, I request you not to fall prey to drugs,” said Stalin, emphasising his commitment to tackling the drug crisis.