PHILADELPHIA, PA — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia intercepted three international mail shipments from the Netherlands containing a half pound of ketamine and 10 doses of LSD in mid-August, authorities said.
The seizures, made on August 16 and 17, are the latest in a series of ketamine interdictions at the port. Officers said the drugs were found in three separate envelopes addressed to recipients in Seattle, Las Vegas, and Wayne, Michigan.
CBP officers used a handheld isotope analysis tool to test a white crystalline substance discovered inside clear bags in each envelope, confirming it as ketamine hydrochloride. In one package, officers also found a perforated sheet of paper containing 10 doses of lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, a Schedule I controlled substance with no accepted medical use in the United States.
“Ketamine and LSD are very dangerous substances that can seriously harm drug abusers but can also inadvertently threaten the lives of Customs and Border Protection officers who work hard every day trying to keep illicit narcotics from reaching our communities,” said Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr., Area Port Director for CBP’s Area Port of Philadelphia.
The seizures come amid a broader pattern of ketamine trafficking through Philadelphia. Between late June and early July, CBP officers seized nearly 130 pounds of ketamine in two separate shipments bound for South Florida.
Ketamine hydrochloride, a Schedule III controlled substance, is approved for limited medical and veterinary use but is increasingly abused recreationally. Street names include “Special K,” “Donkey Dust,” and “Cat Killer.” Users typically snort, smoke, or ingest the drug, often at raves and dance clubs, seeking dissociative and hallucinogenic effects similar to phencyclidine (PCP).
Health officials warn that unregulated ketamine use carries significant risks, including elevated heart rate, unconsciousness, convulsions, and respiratory failure. The drug has also been used by sexual predators to incapacitate victims, according to CBP.
LSD, also known for its hallucinogenic effects, remains a Schedule I substance under federal law due to its high potential for abuse and lack of approved medical applications.
CBP officers in Philadelphia also reported intercepting additional parcels containing ecstasy, anabolic steroids, and marijuana seeds as part of their ongoing enforcement operations.
“CBP remains committed to combating drug trafficking organizations by seizing their poisonous shipments at our nation’s ports of entry,” Hunt said.
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