Kuala Lumpur:
Malaysian customs seized almost 30 kilograms of ketamine worth more than half a million dollars at Kuala Lumpur airport and arrested four Indian nationals, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Badaruddin Mohamed Rafik, Kuala Lumpur International Airport customs director, said that the four suspects, including a 40-year-old woman, were detained last week for drug trafficking, according to the official Bernama news agency.
Officials at KLIA seized 28.5 kilograms (62 pounds) of ketamine.
Malaysia is known for its strict anti-drug laws - a drug trafficking conviction there carries the mandatory death penalty by hanging.
Customs officials at KLIA airport have seized just under 312 kilograms of drugs worth $11 million so far this year, and have arrested 68 people for attempting to smuggle drugs mainly into Malaysia.
Those arrested included 20 Nigerian nationals, 19 Indians, eight Iranians, four Indonesians and three Malaysians.
Last year enforcement officials arrested 34 people and seized more than 1,000 kilograms of drugs.