20kg of ketamine seized from international traveler at O'Hare

CHICAGO - An international traveler was accused of trying to smuggle 20 kilograms of ketamine in his luggage last weekend at O'Hare Airport.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers discovered the ketamine in a checked bag belonging to Christopher Andrew Harvey who was flying from Brussels, Belgium, according to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois.

During his customs inspection at O'Hare, Harvey said he did not check any bags and "was acting nervous and appeared to have trouble answering simple questions," according to the complaint.

Customs officers found a checked bag bearing his name and claim number. Harvey later admitted the suitcase was his and that he thought it contained marijuana. Inside the bag, officers found one large, black bag that contained a clear bag holding a white powdery substance that tested positive for ketamine properties. The clear bag weighed roughly 20.18 kilograms, officials said.

Harvey, who lives in the United Kingdom, said he was recruited by someone he called "Roger" in the Birmingham area of England to deliver a suitcase to Los Angeles. Harvey said he was promised £5,000 to take the suitcase to California.

Harvey said he was told to fly to Chicago and then to Las Vegas, where an unknown individual would drive him to Los Angeles to deliver the suitcase. Harvey was scheduled to leave the United States on Friday.

Harvey was accused of violating U.S. code by unlawfully importing a nonnarcotic Schedule III controlled substance.