Border force officials foil attempts to smuggle $75 million worth of ketamine into Australia
Australian border force officials have seized more ketamine in Sydney and Melbourne in January than they did across Australia for the entire year of 2022.
More than 438kg of the illicit party drug was seized in dozens of consignments from December 31 to January 31, which represents an alarming new trend for authorities.
Police said this amount of ketamine represented more than 8.5 million street‑level drug deals.
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Authorities disrupted multiple attempts to smuggle approximately $75 million worth of ketamine into Australia over the course of a month in an alarming new trend. Australian Border Force
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Authorities previously seized more than 880kg of ketamine in 2023, while the total number of seizures recorded nationally in 2022.
The latest seizures were found in small garden statues and various toys including a teddy bear and a package declared as aquarium gravel.
Australian Border Force Trade NSW Commander Kari Ellis said the drugs taken from the borders in January put a "significant dent" in the supply chain for organised criminal syndicates.
"The scale and frequency of recent seizures highlight the ABF's ability to detect the diverse and increasingly sophisticated methods criminals use to smuggle drugs into our country," Ellis said.
"Criminal syndicates diversify what commodity they are attempting to bring over the border; they don't care about the harm it causes to the community, they only care about profits.
"Ketamine is a dangerous sedative used illicitly as a party drug.
"Its dissociative effects may lead to memory impairment, a sense of detachment from one's own body, and an inability to recognise dangerous situations.
"These detections demonstrate the strength of the ABF's domestic and international partnerships, leading to intelligence-driven intercepts and hundreds of kilos of illicit drugs being removed from circulation.
"Criminal networks should take note: Australia is not a safe gateway for drug trafficking.
"Our expertise and advanced detection systems make it clear, we will stop these drugs before they harm the Australian community."
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