Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Wednesday seized 9 more kilograms of the banned psychotropic substance etomidate and uncovered the involvement of a Malaysian national in the international drug export racket.According to police officers, the fresh seizures were made during follow-up searches conducted after the arrest of the key accused earlier this week. The investigation team recovered 4kg of etomidate from a logistics hub operated by a courier firm. A parcel was intended to be sent as air cargo on March 2 by one of the accused, Nikunj Gadhiya, through a firm named DSUN Chemicals and Pharma. The investigators said the firm was not registered in Gadhiya’s name. ATS officers said that the consignment was mislabelled as aloe vera powder to evade scrutiny and was allegedly meant for a key cartel member identified as a Malaysian national, Chua Zhi Xuan. Investigators believe the accused used forged export declarations and fake invoices to ship the banned substance to Southeast Asian countries. Earlier, the ATS seized 5kg of etomidate active pharmaceutical ingredient from the premises of Rudra Enterprises in Surat. The firm is registered in the name of another accused, Chetan Vavadiya, who was arrested earlier in connection with the racket. Officers said the seizures form part of a broader investigation into an international syndicate that allegedly smuggled etomidate from India by disguising it as herbal or cosmetic raw materials. Earlier, the ATS intercepted 30kg of etomidate from a logistics hub where the package was awaiting customs clearance. In addition, authorities in Thailand seized 15kg of the substance linked to the same network. The racket first came to light after investigators found that parcels containing etomidate powder were shipped from Mumbai air cargo facilities to destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore using false declarations. Officers said the drug fetches high prices in Southeast Asian markets, where it is classified as a controlled psychotropic substance. The ATS also coordinated with central agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities to trace the overseas handlers and the financial trail behind the syndicate.
