DRI seizes 25 kg of ''party drug''; 2 detained

Kochi, May 4 (UNI) A Tamil Nadu resident trying to smuggle 25 kg of Ketamine Hydrochloride, a ''party drug'', to Kuala Lumpur was apprehended at the Nedumbaserry International Airport near here last night, officials today said.

Directorate officials told UNI here today the passenger, identified as Shahul Hameed and his associate Tamin from Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu, had been detained and were being interrogated.

Valued at about Rs nine lakh, the consignment was packed in 25 one kg packets of 'dosa idli' batter. The passenger passed through the Customs without declaring the contraband and was waiting to board a Singapore Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur.

The DRI sleuths, acting on a tip off, intercepted Hameed and offloaded his baggage from the aircraft. His associate Tamin was picked up from a hotel.

Describing Ketamine Hydrochloride as a ''party drug'', the DRI officials said while it was not covered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in India, it was on the prohibited list in several other countries.

''We are interrogating the two of them. No formal arrests have been made so far. As the drug is not covered under the NDPS, the charge against them is Customs' violation,'' they added.

UNI