DRI seizes 25 kg of 'party drug'; arrests two

Kochi, May 4 (UNI) Two men from Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu trying to smuggle out 25 kg of Ketamine Hydrochloride, a 'party drug', to Kuala Lumpur from the Nedumbaserry International Airport near here were arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) today.

The two, identified as Shahul Hameed and Tamin, were detained by the DRI last night and were formally arrested under the Customs Act after interrogation today, DRI officials said.

While Shahul was arrested from the airport as he was waiting to board a Singapore Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur, his associate Tamin was picked up from a lodge in Angamali near here.

The drug, valued at about Rs nine lakh, was packed in 25 one-kg packets of 'dosa idli' batter. Shahul had cleared the customs without declaring the contraband. The DRI officials, acting on a tip off, intercepted him and offloaded his baggage from the aircraft and found the drug, DRI officials said.

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 including the US and the UK.

The two would be produced before a court later this evening.

UNI