Habitual Drug Offender Rahul Shedge Detained Under PIT-NDPS Act Following Years of Repeated Narcotics Trafficking

According to an official statement issued by the NCB, Shedge has been repeatedly involved in drug trafficking and the preparation of illicit narcotic substances, leading to his arrest on four separate occasions by law enforcement agencies, including the NCB and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). The agency noted that he possesses advanced knowledge of chemistry, which he allegedly used to facilitate his involvement in narcotics manufacturing operations.

The statement detailed that Shedge first entered drug-related criminal activity in 2009, when he was arrested by the DRI in Mumbai in connection with multiple controlled substances, including Alprazolam, Nordazepam, Amphetamine, and Diazepam. After securing bail, he allegedly resumed illicit activities.

In 2012, he was arrested again by the NCB Mumbai in a major Ketamine trafficking case spanning multiple cities. Despite repeated enforcement actions, he continued his involvement in illegal drug operations and was arrested once more in 2018 by the DRI Mumbai for attempting to manufacture illicit drugs.

Further, in 2025, Shedge was arrested by the NCB Mumbai for illicit manufacturing of a chemical compound that served as a precursor stage in the synthesis of Ketamine. He had allegedly established a clandestine chemical laboratory in Raigad district and carried out processes aimed at producing intermediate chemical compounds, strategically positioned before the final stage of drug synthesis, in an attempt to evade provisions of the NDPS Act.

The NCB stated that recognising the persistent threat posed by his continued activities, it pursued a detention proposal under the PIT-NDPS Act, which provides for preventive detention in cases involving habitual narcotics offenders. Acting on this, authorities moved to effectively curb his operations through preventive detention measures.

The action underscores the sustained enforcement strategy of the NCB to dismantle repeat offender networks involved in the illicit drug trade and prevent the re-emergence of synthetic drug manufacturing operations across Maharashtra.