Overview
- Officers from the Merseyside Organised Crime Partnership and Merseyside Police stopped a van on the A580 East Lancashire Road on September 16.
- A search uncovered 35 white sacks holding approximately 875 kilograms of ketamine valued at about £17 million.
- The driver, a 46-year-old man from Liverpool, was arrested at the scene and taken into custody for questioning.
- Detective Chief Inspector Tony Roberts described the seizure as a significant success and said investigators are pursuing the wider network behind the shipment.
- Local leaders have warned of a regional 'ketamine crisis', ONS data show 2.9% of 16–24-year-olds reported use in 2023–24, and the Home Office is reviewing whether to reclassify the drug from class B to class A.