A number of recent seizures show that Ketamine Hydrochloride has made steady inroads among disco-hoppers in Kolkata, sources in the law-enforcement agencies said, adding the city is being used as a conduit for smuggling this drug to countries like Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia where it sells for an exorbitant price.

So far, the security agencies have been able to trace a route through Kolkata to southern sates, mainly Tamil Nadu, from where the drug is smuggled to these countries.

There have been some large seizures of this drug in recent times from the airport and in the city.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized two large consignments of Ketamine in the city in the last four months.

On April 4, DRI sleuths intercepted a couriered consignment when it was about to be delivered to the consignee. They found 25 kg of Ketamine Hydrochloride in the package.

The drug was concealed in 50 printed packets each of which read: “Manna Ragi Flour,” “Manna Rice Flour” and “Manna Idiyappam Powder.” Two persons were arrested and produced in Bankshall Court.

“The local market value of the seized drug was Rs 10 lakh while in the international market, its estimated value was Rs 2.5 crore,” DRI officials said.

In a bigger catch, on January 29, a team of DRI officials intercepted two Indians and three foreign nationals with a huge consignment of Ketamine at a hotel in Kolkata.

They seized 108.25 kg of the drug concealed in 114 packets stamped as “Kimlambu Chilly Masala.” Rs 3.48 lakh in cash and $1300 were also seized.

“The consignment’s sale value in the international market was Rs 10.20 crore. The arrested five persons were produced in Bankshall Court and remanded to custody,” said a DRI official.

A senior DRI official said: “Kolkata has become an export point for the drug. The security agencies have also been tracking syndicates involving local youth.”

Enquiries revealed that the drug is available over the counter at pharmacy shops and at veterinary medicine outlets.

The security agencies investigators are on the trail of some jockeys employed with the city’s discotheques.

According to a senior official of the Narcotic Cell of the state (CID), the drug is mostly used by teens and codenamed “date-rape-drug” by vendors.

“The drug has become very popular in the discos in the city, especially in Park Street,” said a CID official.