Indianapolis CBP seize 28 pounds of date rape drug ketamine

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Indianapolis earlier this month discovered two shipments containing around 28 pounds of the so-called “date rape” drug, ketamine. 

Officers at the port of Indianapolis inspected two suspicious shipments from Madrid, Spain containing shirts inside gift boxes on September 10. 

Upon further inspection, officers discovered a white powdery substance, hidden between the press cardboard of the gift boxes. The substance later tested positive for ketamine hydrochloride, a schedule 3 controlled substance

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CBP said there were, in total, nine gift boxes containing 28 pounds of ketamine heading for the same destination in California. The estimated street value of the ketamine was around $200,000. 

“CBP encounters narcotics and other contraband concealed in an ever-changing variety of items,” LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago Field Office said in a statement. “Our officers remain vigilant often using their experience and intuition to discover these concealment methods to keep dangerous drugs out of our communities.”

Ketamine has a variety of legitimate uses in medicine to help relief from pain. Recently, it has been used prominently to treat mental health disorders.   

However, its ability to induce dissociative sensations has been used to facilitate sexual assault, particularly at nightclubs and private parties with teens and young adults.