Updated at 6.24pm: Police have arrested two men following the largest-ever seizure of ketamine in Hong Kong, a spokesman said on Wednesday. The 151-kilograms of drugs, worth $37 million, were seized on Tuesday at a store in Ho Chung New Village, Sai Kung. The spokesman said that since December 2005, officers had been investigating the two arrested men, aged 44 and 38, who were suspected members of a ketamine syndicate. The 44-year-old was arrested on Tuesday after officers intercepted him outside the store. They found 28 grams of suspected ketamine in his possession. A search of the store led to a further seizure of 38 packs of suspected ketamine with total weight of 151 kilograms. An electronic scale, a vacuum-packing machine and a large number of empty tinfoil packages were also found. The 38-year-old man at the premises was arrested. The spokesman said the source of the drugs was still unknown. But police believed a portion of the drugs were due to be distributed to local entertainment premises. The pair are being detained for inquiries. 'We believe that the operation has dealt a severe blow to the syndicate and we will continue our investigations with a view to weeding out the whole syndicate before the drugs can be disseminated to retail-level traffickers,' the spokesman said. Ketamine is a non-barbiturate, fast-acting drug that can produce a dissociative state in a user. Effects can range from rapture to paranoia and feelings of ennui. Health experts say ketamine can induce out-of-body or near-death experiences, and warn that it can also make users comatose.
