Ketamine headed for NY sized by CBP
Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly 50 pounds of ketamine heading for New York last week.
Ketamine is a drug with legitimate medical uses, but can also be used for its hallucinogenic and sedating effects. It is often used at raves and at dance clubs and is frequently used to facilitate sexual assaults.
According to the CBP, on February 3, officers in Indianapolis, Indiana stopped a shipment containing water purification equipment with seven steel filters. When officers x-rayed the filters, they noticed anomalies and upon disassembling the pieces, found two bags containing a total of 12 and a half pounds of ketamine.
Two days later, officers were examining a pair of elephant statues and discovered a white granular powder concealed inside of them. Officers tested the powder and discovered it was ketamine. Nearly 20 pounds of ketamine was seized.
Finally, on February 6, two folding ottomans were examined by officers, which led to the discovery of white granular powder inside the walls and top of the ottomans. The officers ultimately discovered 17 pounds of ketamine inside the ottoman.
One of the shipments arrived from Slovakia, while the other two arrived from France. All three shipments were destined for residences in New York. The drugs had a total street value of over $321,000.
"These seizures demonstrate the vigilance and dedication of our CBP officers who are on the frontline protecting the health and safety of American citizens," said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago. "Our officers continue to use their skills, experience, intuition, and all available tools to ensure these kinds of shipments don’t make it into our homes."
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