SAfrican woman held with party drug worth Rs 18 cr at airport

A South African woman was arrested at the Indira Gandhi international airport here for allegedly trying to smuggle party drug worth about Rs 18 crore out of the country.
The accused, who is in her late twenties, had arrived at the IGIA to board a flight to Johannesburg via Addis Ababa on Wednesday.
She was intercepted by customs officials and on examination of her baggage, it was found containing Methaqualone weighing 22.235 kgs, said Rajiv Tandon, Commissioner of Customs (Import and General).
Methaqualone is a kind of sedative used for medical purposes. However, it is commonly used as party drug.

Methaqualone is also a controlled substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
A kilogram of Methaqualone fetches Rs 80 lakh in black market. "The total value of the seized drugs comes to Rs 17.79 crore approximately in the international market," Tandon said.
The passenger has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody, he said.