BULLETIN INTELLIGENCE

U. S. D E P A R T M E N T O F J U S T I C E

Background

Ketamine hydrochloride, a Schedule III drug 

under the Controlled Substances Act, is a dissociative anesthetic that has a combination of stimulant, 

depressant, hallucinogenic, and analgesic properties. Legally used as a preoperative veterinary 

anesthetic, ketamine is abused for these properties 

and used to facilitate sexual assault. Common 

street names for ketamine are K, special K, ket, kit 

kat, vitamin K, purple, special la coke, cat valium, 

super acid, super C, lady K, super K, ketaject, and 

cat tranquilizers. 

Distribution of liquid and powdered ketamine 

typically occurs among friends and acquaintances, 

most often at raves, nightclubs, and at private parties; street sales of ketamine are rare. Caucasian 

males between the ages of 17 and 25 are the primary distributors of ketamine, but Mexican criminal groups are increasingly distributing the drug, 

particularly in the Rocky Mountain High Intensity 

Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). Retail quantities 

of powdered ketamine (100 mg to 200 mg) typically are packaged in small glass vials, small plastic bags, and capsules as well as paper, glassine, or 

aluminum foil folds. Law enforcement reporting 

indicates that liquid ketamine can be purchased for 

$20 to $140 per 10-milliliter vial, while powdered 

ketamine typically sells for $40 to $100 per gram. 

Ketamine is produced commercially in a number of countries including Belgium, China, Colombia, Germany, Mexico, and the United States. 

Ketamine production is a complex and timeconsuming process, making clandestine production 

impractical. For this reason most of the ketamine 

illegally distributed in the United States is diverted 

or stolen from legitimate sources, particularly veterinary clinics, or smuggled into the United States 

from Mexico. 

Ketamine

Product No. 2004-L0424-007 JULY 2004

The trafficking and abuse of ketamine are a concern to law enforcement 

and drug treatment providers because of the drug’s increasing availability 

and its use in facilitating sexual assaults. Ketamine is frequently smuggled 

into the country from Mexico and is commonly distributed by Caucasian 

males, although Mexican criminal groups increasingly distribute the drug.

NDIC
Ketamine

2

Ketamine Smuggled 

From Mexico

Mexico is a significant source of ketamine 

available in the United States. The drug often is 

diverted from pharmaceutical manufacturers and 

veterinary clinics in Mexico and smuggled into the 

United States for distribution in markets throughout the country. 

California and Florida. On October 2, 2002, the 

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. 

Attorney for the Southern District of California, and 

the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida 

announced the indictment of 20 individuals for their 

involvement in smuggling ketamine from Mexico 

into the United States. The indictments were the 

result of two investigations conducted by federal and 

local agencies in San Diego and South Florida. The 

individuals allegedly solicited orders for Ttokkyo 

brand ketamine (produced in Mexico) from retail 

distributors and users via the Internet. The ketamine 

was smuggled into the United States for distribution 

in Boston, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, 

San Diego, San Francisco, and South Florida. 

San Diego (CA). In September 2002, 10 individuals, citizens of both the United States and 

Mexico, were indicted in the Southern District of 

California on charges of conspiracy to import and 

distribute ketamine, conspiracy to launder money, 

possession of ketamine with intent to distribute, and 

criminal forfeiture. The ketamine seized in conjunction with this investigation or sold by these conspirators was produced legally in a commercial 

laboratory in Morelos, Mexico, but was diverted by 

the laboratory owner, who provided the drug to the 

other defendants for illegal distribution in the United 

States. The defendants usually transported the drug 

directly from the laboratory to their distributors in 

the United States; however, some ketamine also was 

diverted through a Tijuana-based veterinary office 

and then mailed to the distributors via package 

delivery and mail services. There are no estimates as 

to the total amount of ketamine distributed by this 

criminal group; however, officials believe that the 

group supplied a significant portion of the ketamine 

available in U.S. drug markets. In fact, 70,000 10-

milliliter and 50-milliliter vials of ketamine were 

seized from the group in the United States in 2002, 

and an additional 195,575 vials were seized in Mexico. Despite these significant seizures, ketamine 

availability does not appear to be decreasing. Most 

HIDTAs and DEA Field Divisions report that ketamine is available in their areas and that availability 

is increasing slightly in some regions of the country.

Missouri. On April 21, 2002, Missouri State 

Highway Patrol officers arrested an individual during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 44 and seized 

3,998 vials of ketamine, which officers believe 

originated in Mexico—the largest such seizure in 

Missouri history. The individual, an alleged member of a ketamine trafficking group, stated to the 

arresting officer that she was transporting the ketamine from Los Angeles to the Borough of Queens 

in New York City. Further investigation revealed 

that several thousand vials of ketamine had previously been purchased from a Tijuana pharmacy by 

the criminal group and had been transported to Los 

Angeles by private vehicle for subsequent distribution in Queens.

Abuse

Ketamine is manufactured commercially as a 

powder or liquid. Users sometimes evaporate liquid ketamine on hot plates, on warming trays, or in 

microwave ovens, a process that results in the formation of crystals, which are then ground into 

powder. Powdered ketamine is cut into lines known 

as bumps and snorted, or it is smoked—typically in 

marijuana or tobacco cigarettes. Liquid ketamine is 

injected or ingested after being mixed into drinks.

Sexual Assault 

Ketamine may be used in drug-facilitated sexual assaults because of its sedative and dissociative 

properties. When used in the commission of this 
National Drug Intelligence Center

 3

crime, offenders often mix ketamine into victims’ 

drinks—usually without their knowledge—or 

encourage victims to try it. Ketamine is included in 

the Drug-Induced Rape Prevention Act of 1996, 

and any offender convicted of using the drug to 

facilitate a rape or any other violent crime may face 

a prison term of up to 20 years.

Ketamine is rapidly metabolized by the body 

and therefore is difficult to detect through urine or 

blood toxicology testing beyond 48 hours after 

ingestion. Routine urine screening is often ineffective in detecting ketamine even within 48 hours; 

however, a number of advanced commercial toxicology tests will detect the drug and its metabolites.

Effects

The duration and severity of the effects of ketamine use are dose-dependent and affected by the 

method of administration as well as the user’s 

weight and health (see Table 1). Common effects 

include amnesia, agitation, paralysis, memory loss, 

unconsciousness, nausea, and delirium. The onset 

of effects is rapid and often occurs within a few 

minutes of administration.

Outlook

Ketamine abuse may decrease in the near term. 

Monitoring the Future (MTF) data indicate that 

rates of past year use for ketamine have trended 

downward among adolescents and young adults, 

although none of the declines have been statistically significant. MTF data show that the percentage of eighth graders reporting past year ketamine 

use declined from 1.3 percent in 2002 to 1.1 percent in 2003. Past year rates of use among tenth 

graders declined from 2.2 percent in 2002 to 

1.9 percent in 2003 and for twelfth graders from 

2.6 percent to 2.1 percent. The percentage of college students (aged 19 to 22) reporting past year 

ketamine use declined from 1.3 percent in 2002 to 

1.0 in 2003, while the percentage of young adults 

(aged 19 to 28) declined from 1.2 to 0.9. Furthermore, the consequences of ketamine abuse appear 

to be decreasing. Drug Abuse Warning Network 

(DAWN) data indicate that emergency department 

mentions for ketamine decreased sharply from 679 

in 2001 to 260 in 2002. 

Table 1. Common Effects of Ketamine

Administration Dosage Onset Effects Duration

Intramuscular injection 10–40 mg

60+ mg

3–4 minutes after 

injection

Mild hallucinations

Out-of-body, near death 

hallucinations; terrors

45–90 minutes

Intranasal ingestion 10–60 mg

100+ mg

5–15 minutes after 

ingestion

Mild hallucinations

Out-of-body, near death 

hallucinations; terrors

10–30 minutes

Oral ingestion 40–75 mg

200+ mg

5–20 minutes after 

ingestion

Mild hallucinations

Out-of-body, near death 

hallucinations; terrors

Up to 90 minutes

Source: Drug Identification Bible 2001.
Ketamine

319 Washington Street 5th Floor, Johnstown, PA 15901-1622 • (814) 532-4601

NDIC publications are available on the following web sites:

ADNET http://ndicosa LEO home.leo.gov/lesig/ndic 

RISS ndic.riss.net INTERNET www.usdoj.gov/ndic

073004

Sources

State

Missouri

State Highway Patrol

Federal

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Monitoring the Future

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Office of Applied Studies

Drug Abuse Warning Network

U.S. Department of Justice

Drug Enforcement Administration