Ketamine seized en route from Europe to southern Florida: CBP
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has seen a pattern of ketamine shipments being sent directly from Europe and Florida, bypassing traditional smuggling corridors.
In the last six weeks, CBP officers in Philadelphia intercepted seven express mail shipments from Europe and seized a total of 130 pounds of ketamine hydrochloride.
The drugs were concealed in fake packages labeled as everyday objects — including fishing rods, air filters and Mercedes-Benz headlights.
Every package had the same destination: South Florida, specifically Broward County, home to Miami's bustling club scene.
Unlike fentanyl or meth — which often enter the U.S. across land borders — the use of international express mail and fake product labels makes this type of smuggling harder to catch.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, ketamine is a powerful anesthetic commonly used in veterinary medicine and sometimes in hospitals for pain relief.
Ketamine is a very dangerous anesthetic that can seriously harm abusers and unsuspecting victims. It's an illicit drug that CBP officers take pride in intercepting before it can reach our communities. https://t.co/yA85eJ3FsW
— CBP (@CBP) July 21, 2025
But on the streets, it goes by names like Special K, Donkey Dust, and Cat Killer. It's often smoked, snorted or slipped into drinks — and authorities say it is sometimes combined with ecstasy or club drugs to intensify the high.
The drug has also been linked to sexual assaults, where predators use it to incapacitate victims, the agency said.
Investigations into how these shipments were being routed to the Sunshine State —and who is behind them — are still ongoing.
While ketamine is flying in from Europe, the U.S.-Mexico border is still the site of smuggling. On Friday, July 18, CBP officers in El Paso, Texas, arrested a U.S. citizen trying to smuggle fentanyl by concealing it in his body.
The man was stopped at the Bridge of the Americas pedestrian crossing, and a K-9 alerted officers. After a medical scan, doctors discovered two condom-wrapped bundles in his rectum — one filled with powdered fentanyl, the other with pills. That's about 132 grams of one of the deadliest synthetic opioids in the world.
Authorities say this kind of smuggling is extremely dangerous —and a reminder that traffickers are pushing limits across air, sea and land.
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