INDIANAPOLIS – Officers with Customs and Border Protection found 28 pounds of ketamine hidden in a shipment of shirts coming through Indianapolis.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the incident happened on Sept. 10. Officers were inspecting a shipment of shirts that originated from Madrid, Spain. At first, it appeared the shipment included nine gift boxes containing shirts.
However, officers discovered a white powdery substance hidden within the box flaps that tested positive for ketamine hydrochloride, commonly referred to as ketamine.
The Schedule III drug is typically used to induce sedation, immobility or relieve pain in human and veterinary medicine. It can also be used in the treatment of mental health and substance abuse disorders.
The substance can be abused, however, leading to dissociative sensations and hallucinations. More alarmingly, it can be used to facilitate sexual assault, and is sometimes slipped into drinks at nightclubs or parties. It is considered one of the most common date rape drugs.
An overdose can cause nausea, irregular heart rate, muscle stiffening, unconsciousness and respiratory failure leading to death.
CBP said the boxes were headed to two separate addresses in California. They valued the ketamine seizure at about $200,000.
