ARCHIVED - Public Safety Minister Vic Toews congratulates cooperation of Canadian law enforcement on the largest seizure of Ketamine in Canadian history

Vancouver, January 26, 2011 – The Honourable Vic Toews, Canada's Minister of Public Safety made the following statement recognizing the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on the seizure of 1003.9 kilograms of Ketamine—the largest in Canadian history. The combined efforts of law enforcement have resulted in keeping more than $15,000,000 of this illegal drug off Canadian streets.

“Today's announcement is welcome news for the safety of Canadian families and communities.  I congratulate the outstanding cooperation of the CBSA and the RCMP in the largest seizure of Ketamine in our country's history,” said Minister Toews. “Our government recognizes that the trafficking of illegal drugs across our border undermines the safety of our streets and fuels organized crime in Canada. This is another clear demonstration that our government will not tolerate illegal activity.”

Ketamine is a tranquilizer with hallucinogenic properties.  It dissolves in liquid and is odourless and tasteless, allowing it to be slipped into drinks. Because its sedative effect has been used to prevent victims from resisting sexual assault, Ketamine is referred to as a "date rape" drug.  It is also a common ingredient in tablets sold as Ecstasy.

Through the National Anti-Drug Strategy, the Government of Canada is allocating $102 million over five years to combat the production and distribution of illegal drugs. From this funding, significant investments have been made to improve border security to curb the cross-border transportation of illegal drugs and proactively target illicit drug producers.

See also:

• Five Charged, One Million Doses Seized in Largest Ever Ketamine Bust.

Information:

Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657

Date modified:

2015-11-26