Customs and Border Protection officials stopped an international shipment of ketamine earlier this month, the agency announced Thursday.

On Feb. 10, Philadelphia customs officers inspected an ottoman, finding it heavier than such a piece of furniture normally would be. Investigating structural pieces of the upholstered seat, agents found a white powdered substance, which after testing was found to be ketamine.

Ketamine, a human and veterinary sedative, is called “Special K” among recreational users. They take the non-narcotic drug for its dissociative and hallucinatory effects, but fatal overdoses can happen.

All in all, there was approximately 16 pounds of the controlled substance inside the ottoman. The furniture was being sent from Brussels to a Maryland address near Washington, D.C.

The offending package has since been turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which is looking into the provenance of the drugged ottoman.

HSI did not specify Thursday whether any arrests had been made.

The Feb. 10 seizure marked the second time in a month that Philadelphia customs officials apprehended shipments of ketamine from Europe to the East Coast.

On Jan. 12, over 48 pounds of ketamine were discovered inside 18 homemade candles. The waxy works were being sent from Austria to an address near Miami.

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