6.44kg of ketamine seized while being trafficked via courier

The Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) has seized 6.44kg of ketamine that was being trafficked to Italy via a courier service. The drugs were dissolved into the fabric of multiple towels, as part of a covert technique to smuggle narcotics.

DNC also claimed to have arrested two suspects -- Masudur Rahman Zilani, 28, and Arifur Rahman, 43 -- in connection with the trafficking operation.

Ketamine, originally used as an anaesthetic during surgeries, has increasingly been misused as a recreational drug, especially as a "party drug", said DNC Director General Hasan Maruf.

Acting on a tip-off, a DNC team went to the courier service in Tongi, Gazipur on Friday and inspected a suspicious khaki-coloured carton. Inside, they found seven white towels within which 6.44kg of ketamine had been dissolved, revealed during a chemical test.

Maruf disclosed the updates at a press conference at the DNC headquarters in Segunbagicha yesterday.

The DNC then used the sender's address, CCTV footage, and additional intelligence to track down the sender, leading to Masudur's arrest from Chandpur. Further investigations revealed Masudur had been working with Arifur, a known member of an international drug trafficking ring.

A raid was conducted by the DNC team in Faridpur where they arrested Arifur.

"During interrogation, Arifur confessed to his role in the operation and his association with the international drug smuggling network," said Maruf.

The arrested individuals, Masudur and Arifur, have been charged under the Narcotics Control Act of 2018, and further investigations are ongoing, added the DNC official.