Ketamine has previously been trafficked overseas from Bangladesh, says DNC

The narcotics control chief says the drug is now widely abused, especially as a party drug

The Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) has reported that ketamine has been trafficked abroad from Bangladesh on several occasions.

The disclosure came at a press briefing on Sunday at the DNC headquarters in Segunbagicha following the seizure of nearly 6.5kg of the drug in Dhaka’s Tongi.

DNC Director General Hasan Maruf said 6.44kg of ketamine was recovered on Friday while being prepared for shipment to Italy. The drug was hidden in six white towels using a special method.

Two suspects have been arrested over the incident. According to Maruf, the consignment was booked for Italy through international courier service FedEx. Investigators traced the sender’s address, CCTV footage, and phone numbers, leading to the arrests in Chandpur and Faridpur.

The arrestees are Masudur Rahman Jilani, 28, and Arifur Rahman Khoka, 40.

Officials said the gang had smuggled the substance into Italy and Spain several times from India.

At the briefing, Khoka was identified as the ringleader, who used Jilani to book the consignment with the courier service. Jilani was paid Tk 60,000 for each delivery to the courier.

In response to a question, Maruf said ketamine can be compared with cocaine. “We have learnt that buyers pay nearly the same price for ketamine as they do for cocaine.”

He explained, “Ketamine is mainly a dissociative anaesthetic used in the past for surgery. But it is now widely abused as a drug, especially as a party drug.”

The narcotics control chief warned that ketamine use can cause short-term confusion, hallucinations, and physical complications. “Long-term use leads to severe damage to the kidneys and bladder, mental health problems, addiction, and risks being life-threatening,” he said.

The drug has been classified under the DNC’s category ‘Ka’. It was listed as a narcotic in 2010.

Maruf noted that demand for ketamine has so far been mostly observed in Italy and Spain.

“Enquiries have already begun about the person in Italy to whom this consignment was being sent,” he said.