More than 800kg of ketamine seized by Australian Federal Police last year
The amount of ketamine seized has doubled in the last year, with the substance becoming the drug of choice among transnational crime syndicates.
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Ketamine has emerged as the boom drug for transnational crime syndicates targeting Australia.
Total seizures of the dangerous sedative — created as an animal tranquilizer — doubled in the space of a year as gangs intensified their efforts to get it into the country.
The Australian Federal Police said there was 882kg seized last year, up from the 415kg of 2022.
That trend is echoed by the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program report which last year found use of the substance was at a record level.
As recently as Friday, 20kg of ketamine was uncovered by Australian Border Force officers at Sydney International Airport.
That haul was allegedly hidden in the suitcases of an 18-year-old UK national whose Down Under holiday may now be extended into a long prison stretch after the AFP charged him with importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs.
It was the latest in succession of major ketamine seizures.
In July last year, 145kg of the drug was uncovered and three men charged in Victoria in the nation’s biggest ketamine bust.
The AFP found 65kg buried at a property in Lara and another 80kg in buckets of liquid micro cement which had arrived in Melbourne via sea cargo.
In the same month, ABF officers stopped a Sydney-bound ship in Melbourne and found 84kg of ketamine in plastic bags concealed in the panels of two vehicles.
Three men were later charged.
Potential effects of ketamine include disorientation, memory loss, depression, seizures and, in some cases, death.
Its users can descend into a state known as the “K-hole” in which they experience a state of disassociation.
AFP acting Commander Kristy Scott said ketamine was a highly-dangerous and addictive substance.
Ms Scott said authorities would continue to zero in on traffickers because of the grave community risk it posed.
“Its dissociative effects block sensory brain signals and can cause memory loss, feelings of being detached from one’s body and prevent their ability to
perceive danger,” she said.
“We’re reminding criminals that we are not only seizing the drugs but arresting alleged offenders who are connected to the imports. We will continue to work to target your illicit operations, identify you and bring you to justice.”
ABF Assistant Commissioner James Watson said the organisation was determined to make sure Australia’s borders remained a hostile environment for the traffickers.
“These criminal groups may think they’re being clever in the way they try to bring in these harmful substances, but they should know that the ABF is ready to respond. Everyday our officer’s work at the border to protect the community from the enormous harm criminal groups seek to inflict on us,” Mr Watson said.
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