Overview
- Officers at Cologne/Bonn Airport found about 25 kilograms of ketamine concealed in five gold-colored garden gnomes within four parcels bound for Canada and Australia.
- X‑ray irregularities and visible alterations at the figures’ feet led customs to the concealed drug, which was valued at roughly €1 million.
- About a week later, a stop of a Dutch taxi at the A3 Siegburg rest area yielded 33 kilograms of ketamine in a 36‑year‑old British passenger’s luggage after he tried to flee.
- The A3 haul comprised 30 vacuum‑sealed bags wrapped as gifts and hidden among clothing, with an estimated street value of about €1.3 million.
- Customs officials note rising ketamine trafficking, citing 1.3 tonnes seized in the previous year worth €54 million and increased use driven by the drug’s lower price compared with cocaine.