Gujarat ATS uncovers illegal exports of anaesthetic drug to South-East Asia; one held
Ahmedabad, March 7 (IANS) The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has uncovered an alleged network involved in exporting etomidate to Southeast Asian countries under false labels, detaining one person and launching a search for two others linked to the operation, officials said on Saturday.
According to the ATS, the accused were sending consignments of etomidate — an anaesthetic drug that is treated as a psychotropic substance in several countries — to buyers in Malaysia and Thailand through air cargo routed from Mumbai airport.
The drug was allegedly mislabelled and dispatched through courier services to avoid detection.
The investigation began after ATS Deputy Superintendent of Police Harsh Upadhyay received confidential information about illegal exports of the drug to Southeast Asian countries, where etomidate is treated as a largely banned or restricted substance.
Acting on the information, the ATS alerted Mumbai customs authorities and asked the courier company FedEx to hold certain parcels suspected to be part of the consignment.
Officials said the parcels were examined using Raman spectroscopy and found to contain etomidate powder that had been misdeclared as aloe vera powder and other chemical powders.
Three persons have been identified in connection with the operation — Nikunj Gadhiya, 28, a resident of Katargam in Surat; Chetan Vardiya, 28, from Mota Varachha in Surat; and Bhautik Padmani, 32, a resident of Amroli.
Gadhiya has been detained, while efforts are underway to trace the other two suspects.
Investigators said the three operated separate companies but followed a similar modus operandi to procure the drug in India and export it abroad by preparing false bills, fake customs clearance documents, and mislabelling the product before shipping it through air cargo from Mumbai.
According to officials, Gadhiya allegedly operated through companies including DWN Bioscience, Neutral Pharma, and Om Herbs, while Vardiya ran Rudra Enterprise, and Padmani operated Jani Pharma.
During the probe, investigators found that Gadhiya had packed and sent around 50 kilograms of the drug labelled as aloe vera powder to two or three recipients in Malaysia.
Padmani, through his company, had sent about 25 kilograms of etomidate powder to Malaysia and Thailand, mislabelled as aloe vera carbomer powder and exported through misdeclaration.
Similarly, Vardiya is suspected to have exported around 50 kilograms of etomidate powder mislabelled as Ginopol-24 powder by air cargo from Mumbai airport to Malaysia and Thailand.
During preliminary questioning, the detained accused allegedly admitted that the parcels contained etomidate intended for buyers in Southeast Asia.
Officials said the three accused were linked to a Malaysian drug cartel member identified as Chua Zhi Xuan.
According to investigators, the consignments were being sold abroad at an estimated price of between 4,000 and 5,000 US dollars per kilogram.
Some consignments that reached Thailand had also been seized by authorities there.
Officials noted that etomidate is not listed under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act but is misused abroad in intoxicant mixtures commonly referred to as “space oil”.
During the probe, officers also found that the drug is classified as a Schedule II substance under the Psychotropic Substance Act in Thailand, a Group B drug under the Poisons Act in Malaysia, and a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act in Singapore.
The ATS has registered a case under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
K. Siddharth, Superintendent of Police with the Gujarat ATS, said this was the first time the unit had taken action in a case involving the drug.
“The accused were running separate companies but followed the same modus operandi to procure the substance in India and export it abroad under false labels,” he said.
“Etomidate can be easily obtained in India as it does not fall under the NDPS Act here, but it is banned or controlled in several Southeast Asian countries. The accused exploited this difference to procure it in India and sell it illegally abroad,” Siddharth added.
He said Nikunj Gadhiya had been involved in the activity for about five years. “Further investigation is underway to trace other associates involved in the network. We are also investigating the inter-state activities of the accused,” Siddharth said.
The ATS said agencies, including the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and customs authorities, would be informed if required as the investigation progresses.
–IANS
mys/dan
