NEW DELHI – A recent mega haul of party drug ketamine, also known as date-rape drug, has blown the lid off a cartel run by two Delhi exporters, who are suspected to have illegally shipped contraband worth Rs 500 crore in the past few years by hiding it in cosmetic products. These ‘cosmetic’ consignments are suspected to have been shipped to the US, Canada and south-east Asian countries.
The Delhi zone of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized more than 350kg of ketamine from the two Delhi exporters on Wednesday, in what is considered one of the biggest hauls in recent times. The drug had been stuffed into bangle boxes and pouches of cosmetics and was being exported to Malaysia when the DRI officials intercepted the consignment at IGI airport.
The agency arrested the owners of the consignment — Paramjeet Singh Gulati and Atul Kumar Agarwal — both described as dealers of cosmetics and organic compounds among other items.
Sources said that the duo would fraudulently obtain import-export codes (IEC) using fake documents and addresses against bogus export companies. They would then pack the drug, obtained from various sources, in mehndi powder pouches, glass bangle boxes, vanity cases and purses. Remittances for the drug were received via hawala networks.
In the present case, sources said, the DRI received information about a big consignment of ketamine being shipped to Malaysia, and searched for the contraband in air cargo at IGI airport. The agency found 151.98 kg of ketamine packed as cosmetic and accessory products.
Another raid at the residences and office premises of the accused led the DRI to an additional haul of 200kg of ketamine. The agency also recovered Rs 1.68 crore as proceeds of drug sale from the accused.
