The seizure of nearly 20,000 kilograms of ephedrine worth Rs 2,000 crore in Thane is the second big haul in the last 12 months, after the multi-city haul of mephedrone in March 2015, which threatened to tarnish even the higher echelons of the Mumbai police after the arrest of a Marine Drive constable. Ephedrine, manufacturing which is not illegal but selling is, is used as a medicine to treat breathing ailments. The police say the drug is illegally used in India to produce the popular party drugs mephedrone (meow-meow) and methamphetamine.

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that Mumbai is in the firm grip of the dual menace of mephedrone and meth. With drugs being cheap and easily available, many youngsters fall for it. Saturday’s seizure shows how big the market could be, with police saying this is only the tip of the iceberg.