International ketamine racket busted; 10, including 3 foreigners, held
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has unearthed an international racket of manufacturing ketamine with the seizure of a huge amount of the drug from Goa, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. It also apprehended 10 people, including three foreign nationals, including two British and one Vietnamese. "The drug syndicate had a well-established chain of supply in India and abroad, which has been neutralized," the DRI said.
308 kg ketamine seized from raids across Goa, Raigad, Vadodara
The DRI conducted a series of raids across Goa, Vadodara (Gujarat), and Raigad (Maharashtra) in the last three days and seized 308 kg of ketamine. However, they did not mention the value of the seized contraband. In the entire operation codenamed "Operation Vitamin", the officials also seized 2,000 kg of raw material enough to make another 250 kg of ketamine, the DRI said.
Mastermind, a foreign national, was earlier arrested under NDPS act
"The racket was masterminded by a foreign national who had been earlier arrested under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in 2009 and 2012," the agency said. It added that he continued the racket by manufacturing the contraband at Rasaini in Panvel (Raigad) under the banner of a chemical factory. The network was controlled by an international drug syndicate.
Payment for raw materials done through 'hawala' channels
DRI said the three persons were key members of an international syndicate which had close linkages in South East Asia and Canada. "The payments for the raw material and finished products were being made through 'hawala' channels," it said. The operation was spread across multiple states covering 14 residential and industrial premises. Four illicit ketamine-manufacturing laboratories located in Goa, Vadodara, and Raigad were dismantled.
Smuggling syndicate had a lot of international connections
According to the DRI, the smuggling syndicate is believed to have supplied ketamine to international drug traffickers in countries like Sri Lanka, Mozambique, the United Kingdom, Canada, Malaysia, Nepal, Australia, Vietnam, and Kenya, mostly through courier and postal services.
What is ketamine?
Ketamine is an anesthetic agent that is often misused as a recreational party drug. Classified as a psychotropic substance under the NDPS Act, it is used to induce loss of consciousness. It is used by some people to have a "hallucinogenic high" in place of other narcotics, hence the Goa Police has been keeping a strict watch on its sale in the coastal belt.
