ROMULUS, Mich. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations intercepted 110 pounds of ketamine in a traveler’s baggage at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on December 13.
A citizen of the United Kingdom arrived on a flight from France and was selected for a secondary inspection. An x-ray scan and physical search of two large suitcases, which the man claimed were given to him by a family member, revealed plastic bags filled with large white crystals.
Field tests identified the substance as ketamine. At $90 per gram, this ketamine load has a street value of over $4 million.
CBP officers seized the ketamine and refused admission to the traveler. He was returned to France.
“Our drug interdiction mission is vital to protecting our nation and our communities from the dangers of illicit substances,” said Acting Port Director John Ammons.
Ketamine is a Schedule III controlled substance, and while accepted for medical use for short-term sedation and anesthesia, it is abused for its dissociative sensations and hallucinogenic effects. The anesthetic drug has also been associated with sexual assault.
Travelers are encouraged to learn more about current regulations before attempting to bring certain items into the United States to avoid penalties, seizures, and even arrest.
CBP officers and agents seized an average of 2,895 pounds of dangerous drugs every day at and between our nation’s air, sea, and land ports of entry. See what else CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2022.
CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.
Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.