A Chinese woman suspected of being at the heart of an operation to traffic ketamine to the United States has been arrested in France after dozens of kilos of the drug were seized.
Prosecutors said 40 kilos (nearly 90 pounds) of the powerful anesthetic were seized across Switzerland and France, worth more than 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million).
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Authorities found more than seven kilos of the drug at the suspect’s home, which she planned to send to the United States, according to prosecutors.
Ketamine is as an anesthetic called a “dissociative” because of the hallucinogenic effects that have helped make it a party drug.
The 27-year-old suspect was placed in pre-trial detention on Friday, a Lyon prosecutor told the AFP, noting that cooperation between French and Swiss authorities led to the arrest.
There were 249 kilos of ketamine seized in France in 2018, according to the Anti-Narcotics Office (OFAST).
Read more:
Hong Kong arrests 6,400 including children, in anti-triad bust
Jordan downs two drones carrying drugs from Syria: Army
Saudi FM warns against ‘explosive growth’ of synthetic drugs in Arab world
