The Border Force seized 1.3 tonnes of ketamine in the first three months of 2026.
This is the highest amount confiscated in a three-month period in 15 years.
Officers also intercepted more than 59,000 doses of nitrous oxide, and 9,000kg of cocaine in the same period, the Home Office said.
The ketamine seizure comes amid increasing concern over the harm the class B drug might be causing UK users.
Experts warn regular use can lead to incontinence, while for others it stops the bladder from working, and can also make the organ bleed and cause scarring.
Border Force officers at Harwich International Port in Essex alone have seized 300kg of ketamine over the past year.
The minister for migration and citizenship, Jo White, said: ‘The record amount of ketamine seized at our border reflects the dedication, professionalism and vigilance of Border Force officers, who work around the clock to keep dangerous drugs off our streets.
‘Every seizure prevents harm, disrupts organised crime and helps protect families and communities across the country.
UK Border Force seized a record 1.3 tonnes of ketamine in the first three months of 2026, the highest quarterly amount in 15 years. Pictured is ketamine seized at Harwich Port by Border Force
The seizures come amid growing concern about ketamine-related health risks. Pictured is a device showing a ketamine reading from drugs seized at Harwich Port
Criminal gangs profit from addiction and misery, and we are determined to stop them.
‘As criminal networks adapt and new threats emerge, our response will remain relentless.
‘We will continue strengthening our borders, targeting organised crime and preventing harmful drugs from reaching
Earlier this year, the DM reported that the Police and Border Force recorded a record 269,321 drug seizures in England and Wales in the year to March 2025, a 24per cent increase from the previous year and the highest since records began in 1973.
One hundred and thirty-seven tonnes of herbal cannabis was seized, the highest amount since 1973.
There were nearly 3,400 ketamine seizures, up 50per cent and the highest since records began in 2007.
4.19 million doses of nitrous oxide were seized, up almost 2,200 per cent.
There were 23,706 powder cocaine seizures, the highest number in 52 years, although the total quantity fell 35per cent to 18.5 tonnes.
Ketamine, known to clubbers as ‘K’ or ‘Special K’, comes as a powder and is usually snorted
In April 2021, 20-year-old Bristol-based James Diss suffered an extreme reaction to ketamine and also ecstasy during a gig in Manchester and died, just two days before he was due to enrol on a music course in the city
Border Force seized more than 148 tonnes of drugs, worth an estimated £2.6 billion.
A DM investigation earlier this year explored how Beth, a former Bristol student who developed severe bladder damage after becoming addicted to ketamine.
What began as occasional party use escalated to daily consumption, with Beth eventually spending up to £50 a day and needing to urinate around 30 times a day.
Her experience highlights growing concerns about ketamine use in Bristol, where wastewater research suggests consumption may be among the highest in Europe.
The drug has become popular among young people because it is relatively cheap, widely available and seen as less dangerous than other drugs.
Doctors and drug charities are seeing increasing numbers of people suffering from ‘ketamine bladder’, which can cause severe pain, frequent urination, infections and bleeding.
In the most serious cases, patients may require bladder removal and a urine stoma.
*Beth is a pseudonym
