Ahmedabad, Mar 7 (PTI) The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested three persons for allegedly exporting analgesic drug etomidate, mislabelling it as aloe vera powder and a personal care ingredient, officials said on Saturday.

Accused Nikunj Gadhiya (28), Chetan Vavadiya (28) and Bhautik Padmani (32), all residents of Surat, were also in touch with members of drug cartels in Malaysia and Thailand, the ATS said in a release.

The action followed an input that certain individuals were exporting the analgesic drug to countries in Southeast Asia, where the substance is treated as a narcotic or psychotropic substance under local laws.

Officials said Gadhiya operated through his companies DWN Bioscience, Neutral Pharma and Om Herbs, while Padmani used his firm Jani Pharma. Similarly, Vavadiya used Rudra Enterprise to export the consignments.

The trio exported the drug through air cargo from Mumbai airport by preparing fake bills, mislabelling the product and submitting forged customs clearance documents. Etomidate powder is treated as a controlled or prohibited substance in several countries, the release said.

“In Thailand, it is classified as a Schedule II substance under the Psychotropic Substances Act, while in Malaysia it is listed as a Group B drug under the Poisons Act. In Singapore, it falls under Class C drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act,” the release said.

According to the website of The Lancet journal, etomidate, a short-acting anaesthetic, is increasingly being misused for recreational purposes. Its rapid dissociative effects and minimal cardiorespiratory suppression appeal to adolescents, especially when repackaged into e-liquids that enable inconspicuous vaping.

Officials said the accused mislabelled etomidate as aloe vera powder and tried to dispatch parcels to foreign countries through air cargo. After receiving the input, the ATS informed Customs officials in Mumbai and asked that the parcels be held, said the release.

The parcels were examined using “Raman spectrography”, which confirmed that they contained etomidate, it said.

During preliminary interrogation, the accused admitted they were in contact with a Malaysian drug cartel member, identified as Chua Zhi Xuan, and other groups.

The ATS said that Gadhiya had exported around 50 kg of etomidate by disguising it as aloe vera powder. Vavadiya sent nearly 50 kg of the drug by labelling it as “Ginopol-24 powder”, a personal care ingredient, to Malaysia and Thailand.

Padmani is accused of exporting 25 kg of etomidate by mislabelling it as aloe vera powder, said the release.

The drug was sold in foreign markets at an estimated $4,000 to 5,000 per kilogram, said the ATS, adding that the etomidate powder sent to Thailand was seized by the police there. PTI PJT NR