Indian arrested with drugs in soap in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian authorities arrested a man from India after finding drugs hidden in 147 hollowed out soap bars, media reports said Sunday.

Custom officers nabbed the 40-year-old man from Mumbai at an airport in northern Penang state on Friday after he behaved suspiciously during baggage screening, state customs deputy director Chik Omar Chik Lim was quoted as saying by New Sunday Times and Sunday Star.

The officers found 147 soap bars that were hollowed out and repacked with nearly 17 pounds (7.5 kilograms) of ketamine in his baggage, the reports said. Ketamine is an anesthetic used in animals and humans, but its psychedelic side effects make it a popular recreational drug.

The drugs had an estimated street value of 260,000 ringgit ($72,000).

The death penalty is mandatory for drug trafficking in Malaysia.

Chik Omar and other state custom officers couldn't be reached Sunday for comment.