The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Two Creighton men have been arrested for trafficking a powerful anesthetic often referred to as a 'date rape' drug. The men, aged 26 and 27, are charged with importing, trafficking and possessing for the purpose of trafficking ketamine. Authorities say 486 grams of the drug, also known as special K, were seized as a result of a search warrant executed in Creighton last Wednesday, July 25, and an ongoing investigation. Police further confiscated four grams of marijuana, three laptop computers and two cell phones. The men have also been charged with possession of marijuana. One of them faces an additional charge of breaching an undertaking. Search warrant Creighton RCMP executed the search warrant along with members of the Flin Flon RCMP, Saskatoon Integrated Drug Unit and Prince Albert Integrated Street Enforcement Team. Both accused made their first court appearance not in Creighton, but in La Ronge, last Thursday, July 26. RCMP did not release the estimated street value of the ketamine seized. According to Health Canada, ketamine is a fast-acting anesthetic and painkiller used in human and veterinary surgery. The street drug is usually sold in a powder form. See 'Sen...' on pg. 3 Continued from pg. 1 The drug is known as a dissociative anesthetic because it can induce a sense of detachment, as if the user's mind is separated from his or her body. Users may snort or smoke the drug, or dissolve it in a liquid. Liquid ketamine is sometimes injected into the body, causing rapid loss of consciousness. Since ketamine is odourless and tasteless, it can be slipped into a drink and prevent the person consuming it from fending off sexual assault. It is therefore known as a date rape drug. Besides special K, ketamine goes by various other slang names, including K, wonk, big K, kit-kat, blind, squid, breakfast cereal, cat tranquilizers, horsey P, keller, ket, ketalar, ketty, K-rod, lady K, super K and vitamin K. A 2010 media report stated that ketamine appears to be sweeping across parts of Canada and may in some cases be replacing cocaine as the street drug of choice. The report said that while cocaine was selling for $50 a gram, ketamine went for $10 to $20 a vile. It would likely fetch more, however, in a remote community like Creighton.
