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It is valued
at Rs.2.5 crore in the international market
C. Rajan, Commissioner of
Customs (Airport), explaining how ketamine hydrochloride was concealed in a
courier parcel, in Chennai on Thursday. — Photo: A. Muralitharan |
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Coimbatore:
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Coimbatore, on Thursday
seized 27 kg of Ketamine Hydrochloride from a Singapore-bound air passenger.
Based
on a tip-off from P. Babu, Additional Director General of DRI, Chennai,
a team from Coimbatore, comprising Senior Intelligence Officer N. Arunaasalam
and Intelligence Officer A. Shanmugarajan, recalled the Silk
Airlines flight immediately after it took off around midnight. The flight,
which was detained for a few minutes, left at around 1.20 a.m.
The 27-year
old passenger, on his way to Kuala Lampur, was carrying 26.607 kg of
the drug chemical packed in sealed polythene packets bearing labels
of branded detergent powder and idly and dosa powder packs.
The seized
drug, valued at Rs.9 lakh in the local market, could fetch Rs.2.5 crore
in the international market.
According
to sources, the arrested person, suspected to be from Chennai, claimed
to be Feroze Ahmed (27) of Coimbatore. He was reportedly offered Rs.5,000
by a Chennai-based person to smuggle the drug.
Investigations
are on to ascertain the consignor and consignee and whether any international
agency or network was involved.
The passenger
was attempting to export the drug without a ‘No Objection Certificate’
from the Narcotics Commissioner, Gwalior, as notified by the Directorate
General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
Abuse
of ketamine (an essential veterinary anaesthetic substance) results
in what is described as “out of body” or “near death” experience.
First attempt
According
to sources, this was the first attempt by Chennai-based smugglers to
smuggle drugs since the commencement of international operations from
the Coimbatore airport.
10 kg ketamine hydrochloride
seized in two days
P. Oppili : The Hindu 9.2.2008
CHENNAI:
The Chennai Air Customs seized 10 kg of ketamine hydrochloride in two
separate cases in the last two days.
While
one consignment of the drug was seized at the courier terminal of the
old airport, the second was seized from a Kuala Lumpur-bound passenger
at the Anna international terminal.
C. Rajan,
Commissioner of Customs (Airport), said the Customs officials at the
Courier Terminal detained a parcel booked by Babu of Bangalore, consigned
to Taiwan, on Tuesday. It had been declared as teak wood for gift purposes.
The parcel
contained two wooden artworks. When officials opened the nailed wooden
panels on the rear side, they found two packets of ketamine hydrochloride,
weighing 5 kg. The consignor’s address was found to be fictitious.
Passenger
intercepted
In the
second seizure, Customs officals intercepted a Kuala Lumpur-bound passenger,
Shahul Hameed Nizamdeen (36) of Chennai. A cardboard box, carried as
checked-in luggage, raised doubts.
When they
saw an inner layer on the four sides of the carton, it was priced open.
The drug was found concealed in five polythene covers.
The passenger
confessed that he had agreed to carry the contraband for a monetary
consideration.
He was
arrested and further investigation is on.
The source
Preliminary
investigations revealed that the drug is normally procured from Gujarat,
Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Some big
pharmaceutical companies entrust the work of preparing ketamine-based
drugs to small private units.
A sizeable
quantity is pilfered from these units and sold to smugglers.
A veterinarian
said ketamine is an anaesthetic largely used in pet and wildlife treatment.
As far
as animals are concerned the dosage is based on their body weight and
the condition for which it is used.
Normally
drug traffickers procure the drug in small quantities and store them.
Talking about the drug’s effects on humans, the veterinarian said
depending upon the quantity consumed, a person would get a high.
Long-term
use would result in changes in blood pressure, damage brain cells and
affect the liver, the veterinarian said, adding that use of ketamine
for recreational purposes was on the rise.
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