Mark Cockerham of Customs and Immigration with a car tyre in which was hidden a quantity of BZP – a drug that is passed off as cocaine or ecstasy. Picture by Jon Guegan

COCAINE imported into the Island is being mixed with a potent veterinary drug used to knock out horses, Customs have warned following record seizures of the Class A substance.

In just 14 days from 30 April Customs officers seized 2.7 kilos of cocaine worth £230,000 – more than they seized during the whole of 2008. Last year, 711g of the Class A drug were found by Customs.

A warning has now been issued that the purity of the seizures is lower than Customs have ever seen – in some cases as low as one per cent. One of the four consignments seized during the two-week period was mixed with ketamine, a drug used by vets as a tranquilliser and a Class C-rated drug.

Alcohol and Drugs Service director Michael Gafoor said: ‘Potentially this stuff is very dangerous. You just don’t know what it’s mixed with and it can be very toxic, which can be fatal. In fact, cocaine itself can kill, regardless of what it is mixed with. There have been sudden deaths fron cocaine use in the UK and Ireland. The risk is exacerbated by the noxious substances it is mixed with.’