More Ketamine Seized By Customs In Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — Federal authorities in Philadelphia have seized even more ketamine after finding 57 pounds of the drug in shipments last month.

According to officials, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly 73 pounds of ketamine in Philadelphia that was being shipped in express delivery parcels from Europe to South Florida.

Last month, officers in Philadelphia seized five shipments containing a total of 57 pounds of ketamine hydrochloride.

Ketamine is an animal anesthetic dangerously abused by users, and by sexual predators on their victims.

In these most recent cases, officers seized a little more than 46 pounds in a shipment from France on July 5 that was manifested as "industrial air filter HEPA air filter." Then on July 9, officers seized 26 pounds, 11 ounces in a shipment from Germany that was manifested as "Mercedes E class headlight right W2."

Both shipments were destined to addresses in Broward County, Florida.

In each shipment, officers found a white, crystalline substance hidden inside other packaging.

Officers tested the substance using a handheld elemental isotope analysis tool and identified the substance as ketamine hydrochloride.

Collectively, the ketamine weighed 72 pounds, 13 ounces and had a street value of about $1.8 million.

An investigation continues.

According to the DEA, ketamine hydrochloride is a Schedule III non-narcotic compound regulated under the Controlled Substances Act. It is commonly known on the street as Special K, Donkey Dust, and Cat Killer, and is smoked, snorted, or mixed in beverages.

It is used lawfully in both human and veterinary medicine to induce sedation, immobility, and relief from pain. Unprescribed, ketamine is abused by users for its ability to induce dissociative sensations and hallucinations like that induced by phencyclidine.

Ketamine is often cut or combined with other compounds, such as ecstasy, and it is often associated with raves and dance clubs. Overdoses can lead to serious health threats, such as nausea, elevated heart rate, unconsciousness, convulsions, and respiratory failure.

Additionally, ketamine has been used by sexual predators to incapacitate their victims during sexual assaults.