Kingpin of drug racket arrested, clandestine lab busted

An alleged kingpin of a drug racket who tried to smuggle Ketamine to Malaysia has been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau.

An illegal lab near Bengaluru used for the manufacture of Ketamine, a veterinary anaesthetic abused as a party drug, has also been busted, the NCB said.

Mohammed Sadiq Batcha, the alleged kingpin, was arrested at the airport yesterday just before he was to leave for Malaysia with his family, an official release from NCB, Zonal Director, Bruno A, said here.

A city resident, Batcha's apprehension comes following the arrest of two other suspected members of the racket last month and seizure of 14.650 kg of Ketamine from them.

Balamurugan P and Abdul Karim were arrested on March 22 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985,for trying to smuggle over 14 kg of Ketamine to Malaysia.

After the seizure of Ketamine from the duo, NCB sleuths seized 112 grams more of the drug and "many chemicals suspected to be used for the manufacture of Ketamine from a clandestine laboratory, which Balamurugan was operating at Attibelle, near Bengaluru on April 9," the release said.

Ketamine is a veterinary anaesthetic drug included in the most restricted X schedule of drugs.

Its illegal possession and trafficking is an offence punishable with imprisonment upto 20 years.