Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia were no lightweights when they beat the North Carolina consignee to the punch and delivered a knockout blow to nearly seven pounds of dangerous ketamine on January 5.
CBP officers discovered the ketamine, which is dangerous substance that is used as a club drug and in sexual assaults, while inspecting a shipment manifested as “Boxing Wall Mats” from the Netherlands.
CBP officers didn’t pull any punches. They immediately detected an anomaly when they x-rayed the shipment of two floor boxing mats. Officers then opened the boxing mats and found four packages of a white powdery substance wrapped in aluminum foil that were concealed inside the mats’ foam inserts. Officers tested the substance with a handheld elemental isotope analysis tool and identified the contents as ketamine hydrochloride.
The combined weight of the ketamine was 3.05 kilograms, or nearly six pounds, 12 ounces. It was destined to an address in Durham, N.C.
CBP officers turned the ketamine over to special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). HSI special agents continue to investigate.