MEMPHIS – On March 1, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers at an express consignment hub in Memphis, Tennessee examined a package described in the paperwork as porridge. The package contained two boxes, one of organic rice and the other organic banana multigrain porridge. Sealed aluminum bags within each box contained a total of 271 grams of ketamine in white powder form. The shipment was sent from London, England to an apartment in New York’s Hudson Valley region.
According to the DEA, ketamine is a general, short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects and is sometimes used to facilitate sexual assault crimes. Street names include Special K, Cat Valium, Kit Kat, Super Acid, Super K, and Vitamin K.
“I know it’s organic, but why would you need two boxes of baby food sent across the Atlantic Ocean to your apartment?” Said Assistant Area Port Director Michael Neipert. “My officers use their experience and expertise to target shipments, while considering a variety of elements. They see all methods of smuggling and can quickly and efficiently spot shipments requiring a closer look.”
This seizure took place within the Area Port of Memphis, which covers ports of entry throughout the state of Tennessee and falls under CBP’s New Orleans Field Office. This Field Office includes all ports in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee.
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