Ketamine swapped for salt as smugglers exploit Europe loophole in booming market

10 June 2025 Share Save Paul Kenyon & Paul Grant BBC File on 4 Investigates Share Save

BBC

The customs officers at Brussels Airport were stunned. They had opened crates in the back of a lorry expecting to find a tonne of medical ketamine. But somewhere on its journey, the white powder had been switched for salt. After zigzagging hundreds of miles across Europe, the contents of the consignment had been verified five days earlier by customs officers at Schipol Airport in the Netherlands, ready for its road trip to Belgium. But somewhere between Amsterdam and Brussels the ketamine had vanished – the authorities believe most likely into the black market – replaced by the salt and freshly forged documents. While it is not known where the drug ended up, and no-one responsible has been caught, this case shows the increasingly elaborate methods crime gangs are using to traffic ketamine across Europe and into the UK. They exploit its classification in some countries as a legal medicine by transporting it across multiple borders to confuse the authorities. Consignments then disappear and are illegally sold as a hallucinogenic drug. “It’s clear that criminal organisations are misusing all these long routes,” says Marc Vancoillie, head of Belgium’s central directorate of drugs. Belgian investigators have uncovered at least 28 similar consignment switches – involving an estimated 28 tonnes of ketamine – since this case in 2023.

Some criminal gangs are now making more money from selling ketamine than other illegal drugs such as cocaine, Mr Vancoille told us, describing the situation as an epidemic. In the UK, ketamine consumption has risen 85% between 2023 and 2024, wastewater analysis – sampling human waste from sewage plants to measure the scale of illicit drug use – suggests. Latest figures show there were 53 deaths involving ketamine in 2023. It has been linked to high-profile deaths including those of Friends actor Matthew Perry and drag star The Vivienne. Abuse of the drug can also lead to cognitive problems and permanent bladder damage. UK organised crime groups “are clearly stepping into this new market”, says Adam Thompson from the National Crime Agency (NCA). The challenge for European law enforcement agencies is compounded by the fact that ketamine is used as a vital legitimate anaesthetic in hospitals and veterinary clinics, as well as being a popular illegal recreational drug. File on 4 Investigates has examined how organised crime groups are exploiting this dual classification. In countries such as the UK and Belgium, ketamine is classified as a narcotic. But in countries including Austria, Germany and the Netherlands, it is regulated as a medicine, meaning it faces less scrutiny during its import and transit. “It starts off being produced for those markets and exported from countries like India,” said Mr Thompson. “But then it’s diverted by organised crime groups into illicit supply.”

Armed with this knowledge, the smugglers have developed a preferred route – shipping the drug from India, where it is legitimately produced as a medicine, into Germany, through the Netherlands and Belgium, then on to the UK. In the case of the disappearing consignment at Brussels Airport, the drug was originally flown from India to Austria. It was then driven to Germany before being flown to the Netherlands where it was unloaded again and readied for the road trip to Belgium. During all of these connections it was being moved legally. But, somewhere during this last leg, it was swapped with salt – and it is thought the ketamine entered the black market for illegal sales. In another case, a container arriving at the Belgian port of Antwerp which had been verified as containing ketamine, was found to hold sugar. Criminal groups are also exploiting legal supply chains by setting up front companies to import ketamine under the guise of legitimate use, only to divert it into illicit markets once it arrives in Europe. The more countries and jurisdictions it goes through, the more difficult it is to investigate, requiring liaison between law enforcement agencies, Belgian and Dutch Police told the BBC. It also helps disguise where the front company – an import company which obtains a legitimate licence – is based. “They [the criminals] will put all kinds of steps – companies in different countries – in between. So it’s hard for us to backtrack if we find any large quantities of ketamine,” said Ch Insp Peter Jansen, a drug expert from the Dutch police.

Marc Vancoillie, head of Belgium’s central directorate of drugs, says “tonnes and tonnes” of ketamine are disappearing down illegal routes

Germany, Europe’s biggest importer of ketamine, has a huge pharmaceutical industry, so large consignments are less likely to raise suspicions. In 2023 alone,100 tonnes of ketamine were imported from India, Mr Vancoillie says – far more than would be expected for legitimate medical and veterinary use. “Between 20 to 25% will be necessary for legal purposes and not more,” he told us. “It’s tonnes and tonnes and tonnes that disappeared in criminal routes.” European police forces say they are planning to liaise with the Indian authorities to try to tackle the problem, with Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office telling us it carries out intensive monitoring of new psychoactive substances like ketamine. It added it was “in close contact with national and international authorities, organisations and institutions in order to be able to anticipate and react to further developments and new trends”.

‘Needle in a haystack’

The smuggling network sees plenty of reward in England and Wales, where an estimated 269,000 people aged 16-59 reported using ketamine in the year ending March 2024, government figures show. Among young people aged 16-24, usage has soared by 231% since 2013. “Ketamine is a very cheap drug compared to some other illicit drugs,” the NCA’s Adam Thompson explained. “It’s sold for about £20 a gram at street level, compared to £60 to £100 for cocaine.” The drug is being smuggled into the UK through two main routes – concealed in small parcels sent by post, or hidden in lorries and vans arriving via ferries and the Channel Tunnel, the NCA believes. With hundreds of thousands of parcels arriving in the UK only a small percentage are spotted. It’s “very easy to hide that needle in the haystack,” Mr Thompson added. In Belgium, some criminal groups are using AirBnBs to store ketamine before sending it through France to the UK, by cars, lorries or trucks, according to Mr Vancoillie. In one case, somebody reported as suspicious a group of men who were moving IKEA boxes into a van. The vehicle had been hired, which meant the authorities were able to track its prior movements back to an AirBnB in Staden, Belgium. There, they found 480kg (1,058lbs) of ketamine, along with 117kg of cocaine, and 63kg of heroin, stored in a garage. Eight British nationals were eventually linked to the case and prosecuted. As ketamine use continues to rise and trafficking methods grow more inventive, authorities across Europe are calling for greater international co-operation. “It’s a responsibility of agencies and countries across the globe,” Mr Thompson warned, “to think about this.”

Wreck of sunken luxury yacht Bayesian to be examined

3 days ago Share Save Sarah Rainsford Eastern and Southern Europe correspondent, Rome Share Save

Watch: Sunken British superyacht raised from seabed

The wreckage of the Bayesian superyacht is now on dry land in Sicily after being lifted from the seabed and carried on a slow final journey from the spot where it sank in a storm last summer, killing seven passengers and crew. The yacht, which belonged to the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, has finally been recovered in a complex $30m (£22.2m) operation to allow Italian prosecutors to inspect the wreck as part of their ongoing investigation. Mr Lynch and his teenage daughter were among seven passengers and crew who died when the Bayesian was knocked over by sudden extreme winds and sank within minutes. Their bodies were retrieved by divers several days later.

Other smaller vessels in the same area that day survived the storm intact, leaving experts struggling to understand why the luxury yacht was affected so badly. At the time, prosecutors in Sicily announced a criminal inquiry into potential manslaughter and negligent shipwreck, describing its outcome as “completely unpredictable”. They made clear that recovering the Bayesian itself would be essential. Now the yacht is out of the water, experts for the prosecution will be able to examine the physical evidence and start to come up with some answers. The salvage operation began in May, but was quickly struck by fresh disaster when one of the divers was killed in an underwater explosion. The entire operation involving dozens of experts had to be paused. The diving team was then replaced by remote-controlled submersibles for safety, delaying the process. Fixing straps around the hull, or the main body of the vessel, was also tougher than anticipated. But last week the salvage team, managed by TMC Maritime, finally cut the giant, 72m aluminium mast off the yacht, allowing the hull to right itself under water. Raising it 50m to the surface was then a delicate three-day operation with regular checks for any fuel spills or other pollution. Prosecutors wanted the remains of the superyacht kept as intact as possible. It was only on Sunday, dangling from a giant floating crane with multiple straps beneath its belly, that the Bayesian was ready to be carried the 16km (10 miles) or so towards shore. On Monday morning, it was lowered into a metal cradle in the port of Termini Imerese where the wreckage, now grey and battered, will be left to dry out before any formal inspection or forensic tests are conducted. In the meantime, salvage teams will retrieve the giant mast and the rigging from the seabed and do a final sweep for any other materials that may help the enquiry. Mr Lynch, a tech entrepreneur sometimes dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates”, was last summer acquitted of fraud charges in the US and the trip around Sicily with family and friends was planned as a celebration. In the early hours of 19 August his luxury yacht was anchored just offshore near the port of Porticello, when the storm hit. There has been endless speculation about why the Bayesian sank ever since: whether doors were closed in time and what other steps the crew took and how quickly.

Three crew members including the captain are under investigation. But the Italian prosecution team have remained tight-lipped about their work. Last year, in their only comments to press, they said they would explore whether the accident was due to human error or potential design flaws on the yacht. “Only after analysing the wreck will we understand what happened, where the water came in, whether there was enough water to cause the ship to sink or whether some other factor was involved,” prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano stressed at the time. An interim report last month by British maritime investigators, MAIB, found that the Bayesian – with its enormous single mast – was vulnerable to very high wind speeds. The report suggested neither the owner not the crew were aware of this. Statements given to its authors also suggested that all the relevant hatches and doors had been shut as the storm built. The report was conducted for safety purposes – avoiding future disasters at sea – not for any criminal prosecution.

PA Media

€250m EuroMillions winning ticket holder comes forward

The EuroMillions jackpot is capped once it reaches €250m

The holder of the winning ticket for a EuroMillions jackpot of €250m (£213m) has come forward, the Irish National Lottery has said.

It said the winning ticket was sold by a retailer in County Cork.

It added that the name of the shop which sold the winning ticket would be announced on Friday.

It is said to be the largest ever EuroMillions jackpot to be won in Ireland.

Wildfires rage on Greek island of Chios

3 days ago Share Save Nikos Papanikolaou & Tiffany Wertheimer BBC News Share Save

REUTERS/Konstantinos Anagnostou Firefighters from Athens and Thessaloniki were deployed to the island on Monday

A state of emergency has been declared on the Greek island of Chios where five separate wildfires are burning and being fanned by strong winds. Residents in 17 communities have been evacuated and an arson investigation has been launched into what caused the different fronts to start is such a short amount of time. Three forest fires broke out on Sunday in the areas of Kofinas, Agia Anna and Agios Makarios. A fourth blaze erupted shortly after midnight in Agios Markos, followed by a fifth front on Monday morning in Agiasmata. The blaze has already damaged homes, crops and infrastructure on the Aegean island, with local media reporting that several houses have been destroyed.

There is a moderate high temperature warning on Chios, with highs of about 30C, but it is expected to get hotter toward the end of the week. About 190 firefighters were operating on the island, supported by 11 aircraft and helicopters. An additional 90 firefighters are also due to arrive from Athens and Thessaloniki, authorities said. Pictures from the island show locals trying to help firefighters, throwing buckets of water on flames and using clothing to try to pat out smaller spot fires. Local media reported extensive damage to a number of houses and at least one distillery, with some residents saying they had been unable to return to see if their property had been damaged.

Getty Images Locals have been helping firefighters across the island

Sunniest spring on record for Wales, says Met Office

People enjoyed sunbathing on the beach, like here in Tenby, throughout spring

She added it would remain cloudy across Wales on Thursday and Friday, with “some brighter interludes likely on Saturday as we end spring”.

Kathryn Chalk, a Met Office meteorologist, said the provisional figure beat the previous peak of 647 hours in 2020.

Some 648 hours of sunshine were clocked between 1 March and 28 May – higher than the UK average.

Wales has had its sunniest spring on record, the Met Office has said.

Driest March for more than 60 years in England and Wales

The UK as a whole has clocked 636.8 hours of sunshine in spring this year, beating the 626 hours set in 2020.

Wales joins Scotland and Ireland in setting new peaks but England has not yet set a new record, Ms Chalk said.

Met Office sunshine data goes back to 1910, and its figures for rainfall are also due to be published later this week.

They are likely to show the UK has experienced one of its driest springs, despite heavy downpours in some areas in recent days.

Wales has faced a huge number of wildfires this year, with March being the driest since 1944, according to Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

By the middle of April, Wales’ three fire services had responded to more than 1,300 grass fires, with charities warning some areas could take decades to recover from the destruction.

Last week, NRW moved the country into “prolonged dry weather” status, with many rivers reported to be “low or exceptionally low”.

Rhian Thomas, sustainable water and nature manager at NRW, said: “Such a dry start to the year is causing considerable concern for the health of our ecosystems and habitats, as well as for land management and the agricultural sector.”

She urged people and businesses to “use water wisely” to ensure water can continue to be supplied without damaging the environment.