Germany’s customs agency said Tuesday that officers uncovered a large ketamine seizure at Cologne/Bonn Airport after an otherwise innocent-looking decoy object drew attention.
About 25 kilograms (roughly 55 pounds) of the anesthetic were hidden inside five bushy-bearded garden gnomes painted gold. The haul, with an estimated street value of about €1 million ($1.16 million), was found roughly a month ago in four parcels destined for Canada and Australia. X-ray scans showed irregularities in the ornaments, and “clear alterations to the feet of the unpacked golden garden gnomes led my colleagues to a total of around 25 kilograms of concealed ketamine,” said Jens Ahland, a spokesperson for the Cologne main customs office.
In a separate incident last week involving the same drug, officers stopped a Dutch taxi on the A3 motorway near Frankfurt. At a service area near Siegburg, both the driver and a 36-year-old passenger were checked. The British passenger gave conflicting accounts, tried to flee, and was detained after a short chase. Searches of his luggage uncovered 30 vacuum-sealed bags of white crystalline powder wrapped in gift paper and hidden among clothing.
The combined street value of the ketamine seized in the two operations is estimated at about €2.3 million.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko