Pubdate: Wed, 26 Jan 2011
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2011 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Page: A18
Author: Jack Keating

MASSIVE HAUL OF DATE-RAPE DRUG SEIZED

The RCMP's federal drug squad and the Canada Border Services Agency 
have made the largest "date-rape" drug seizure in Canadian history.

Details of the Ketamine bust at the Port of Vancouver will be 
released at a joint news conference by police and the CBSA at RCMP 
headquarters today.

RCMP Const. Michael McLaughlin said the bust was "quite a bit" bigger 
than the 352 kilograms of the drug found in May last year in 
Vancouver concealed in a sea container destined for Toronto.

"The 352 kilograms looks small beside this seizure," said a police 
source "This is far bigger."

Ketamine is known on the street as "Special K" or "K" and is usually 
sold as a powder or concealed in tablets that can produce 
hallucinations, euphoria and out of body experiences.

"The powder is odourless, colourless and it dissolves really easily 
in water," said McLaughlin. "It is used and has been used as a date-rape drug."

Commercial Ketamine is a liquid that is used as a rapid-acting 
anesthetic drug, mainly by veterinarians.

On its website, Health Canada says the drug is also known as big K, 
blind, breakfast cereal, cat tranquillizers, horsey P, K, keller, 
ket, ketalar, ketty, kit-kat, K-rod, lady K, special K, super K, 
vitamin K, squid and wonk.

"It is a tranquillizer with hallucinogenic properties," said 
McLaughlin. "The tranquillizer effects are obviously the reason it 
can be used as a date-rape drug."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart