Rs 5 cr ketamine seized in Chennai, 1 held

Chennai, July 3 (UNI) Customs officials today seized Rs 5 crore worth Ketamine from a container meant for smuggling to Malaysia and arrested one person in this connection.

Talking to reporters here, Customs Commissioner C Rajan said on a tip off, Customs officials raided a cargo company at Tiruvottriyur in North Chennai and seized 12.5 kg of Ketamine concealed in four containers. The consignee was a company in Malaysia.

He said investigations revealed the Ketamine was transported from Chennai in a private bus by a Tuticorin-based firm, ''Cargo Exim.'' Following this, an official of the company was arrested.

''We are on the look out for the top executive of the firm,'' he added.

The Commissioner said the Customs Department had approached the Malaysian Government seeking details of the company there.

Investigations were on to find out if the Tuticorin firm had any connections with international mafia gangs.

This comes close on the heels of seizure of cocaine from a Kenyan national by the Narcotics Control Bureau officials yesterday and Rs 62 lakh worth Heroin by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials at a courier office here.

The 620 gm heroin was stashed in two parcels and it was booked at Tirupati and meant for a person in New Delhi.

The spate of recent seizures of narcotics indicated that Chennai was emerging as a hub for drug peddling as the city was well connected to major Asian and European hubs both by air and sea.

The use of Ketamine in the city had increased in recent months as it was seen as a cheaper and easily available alternative to other psychotropic substances and could be as a recreational drug in rave parties.

UNI GV GM SW AS1728