A shipment of a trash compactor and a shipment of thermos bottles sent from Sweden to Colorado were found to contain ketamine, Customs and Border Protection agents in Atlanta announced Thursday.

On Tuesday, the two shipments were intercepted. CBP agents using x-ray machines discovered anomalies in the trash compactor shipment, and uncovered bricks of a white powdered substance. False bottoms on the thermos bottles were also found to contain the substance.

After testing, CBP found that the powder was not cocaine, but rather ketamine. Around 197 pounds of it was seized, with an estimated street value of $985,000. The narcotics have since been destroyed.

No arrests have yet been made, and investigations into the matter are ongoing.

Ketamine, known as “Special K” to recreational users colloquially, can be used for both human medical and veterinary purposes as a sedative, as well as to treat mental health and substance abuse disorders. 

Recreational users take it to dissociate and hallucinate, and the club drug has also been used to facilitate sexual assault.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.