In January and February, Belgian customs seized 56.8 kg of ketamine at Brussels and Liège airports. That is more than a third of the total quantity intercepted in the whole of 2024. The ketamine in question was often purchased legally as a medical drug but resold illegally as a party drug. Because regulations are not uniform across Europe, it is difficult for police and customs to intervene.
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Customs warn of ‘ketamine epidemic’: more than 56 kg seized at Belgian airports this year
Colin Clapson
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Originally developed as an anaesthetic for use in hospitals and veterinary medicine, ketamine is also used as an illicit drug in Belgian nightlife. Ketamine consumption appears relatively stable throughout the year, while for other drugs huge spikes are observed during holiday periods and festival periods.
Ketamine used to be little used and was mostly derived from stolen (animal) drugs. However, the situation has changed: nowadays, chemically pure ketamine is increasingly found, mainly derived from the legal pharmaceutical circuit and then illegally resold.
‘Alarming increase in ketamine use in Belgium’
In a press release today, the Belgian finance ministry, which is responsible for the customs service, warned of the ‘alarming increase in ketamine use in Belgium’.
The ministry points to a recent study by researcher Natan Van Wichelen (Antwerp University - UAntwerpen). He discovered that throughout Flanders, and also on weekdays, ketamine is found at levels in sewage water that are 7 to 11 times higher than 10 years ago.
To reinforce the warning, the authorities are sharing figures on the amount of ketamine seized at Brussels and Liège airports. Because ketamine is increasingly being exported illegally. In countries such as the US, Australia, New Zealand and the UK, the ‘retail price’ of the party drug on the street is up to three times higher than in Belgium.
This year, seizures already amount to 56.8 kilograms and that’s in just two months. That is more than a third of the total quantity seized last year. In 2024, the total amount was just under 168 kilograms with the figure just over 205 kilograms the year before.
Smuggling mainly occurs via postal and courier shipments. The drugs are hidden among all kinds of items in quantities ranging from 100 grams to 20 kilograms. ‘Earlier this year, there was a passenger who wanted to fly to Germany with 16.4 kilograms of ketamine,’ the Belgian finance ministry notes.
‘Ketamine epidemic’
The finance ministry is really sounding the alarm and calling for consultations at the European level. ‘One of the challenges is the fact that ketamine does not have the same legal status everywhere in the EU. In the Netherlands, for example, although it is a controlled substance, it does not fall under the Opium Act like ‘classic’ drugs.’
Ketamine is only regulated as a narcotic in six member states, including Belgium. ‘To discuss these challenges and examine the evolution of the ketamine epidemic, consultation at EU level is needed so that this problem can be addressed in a coordinated way’ the ministry argues.