Vet clinics burglarized for drugs

Burglars attempted to break into a another veterinary clinic Monday night, police said, raising the total to five and the fear of new drugs hitting Lincoln's streets.

One of the drugs taken in Monday's burglaries is known as a common narcotic in larger cities. The effects of the other drugs stolen are unknown by police.

Employees at the South Ridge Animal Clinic, 2901 Pine Lake Road, reported finding signs of an attempted break-in on the clinic's doors Wednesday morning, police said, but suffered no losses.

But two other veterinary clinics - the Animal Care Clinic and Parkview Animal Hospital - both reported the loss of Ketamine or a similar drug, Ketaset, after break-ins Monday night, officer Katherine Finnell said. One other clinic reported losing cash, and another reported no losses.

Seventy milliliters of Ketamine, 10 milliliters of Valium and 450 milliliters of Xylazene were stolen in total.

Ketamine was first developed in 1965 and has been used by recreational drug users as early as 1971. In Lincoln, Ketamine is rare as a narcotic, but common in larger cities throughout the nation, Capt. Duane Bullock of the Lincoln Police Department's Narcotics Unit said.

The Justice Department's Drug Enforcement Agency declared Ketamine a controlled substance Aug. 12 and registered it a schedule III drug, meaning it's a drug that could create a moderate physical dependency or high psychological dependency.

Anabolic steroids, codeine or hydrocodone with aspirin or Tylenol and some barbiturates are also schedule III drugs.

Florida police seized 11,000 vials of the drug in early September, the nation's largest Ketamine bust yet. The vials were valued at $4 million.

Like PCP, the drug causes users to feel intoxicated and hallucinate.

Lincoln Police Capt. David Beggs said the drug is also used as a date-rape drug.

Ketamine lowers a user's heart rate, and large doses can lead to oxygen starvation of muscles, brain and heart.

Used legally in the United States only as a veterinary anesthetic, Ketamine's complex chemical makeup prohibits the amateur production common to drugs like methamphetamine or LSD.

Dr. Ally Jorgensen, assistant executive director of the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, said production of Ketamine - particularly the nitrogen element at the core of the drug - requires taking several complex steps that each require a strong knowledge of chemical manufacturing.

"I believe that there are not a lot of people who could make it in a clandestine laboratory," Jorgensen said.

The nitrogen element allows the chemical to penetrate brain and muscle tissue quickly.

Because of this complex makeup, Jorgensen said, much of the Ketamine available to recreational users in the United States comes from overseas.

"It is coming into this country because in countries other than ours, veterinary medicine is all but unregulated," Jorgensen said.

Bullock said Ketamine is available in Mexico and other Latin American countries.

The complicated nature of Ketamine's production could explain Monday's rash of veterinary clinic break-ins, Bullock said.

Bullock described Ketamine as a "club drug" because of use of it is common in dance clubs. But he said Lincoln police have never made a seizure of the drug.

Megan McCaffery, a veterinarian's assistant at Parkview Animal Hospital, said Ketamine is being replaced by Xylazene in clinics because while both work in similar ways, Xylazene does not cause hallucinations and is not a controlled substance.

McCaffery said both Ketamine and Xylazene are used to calm cats and dogs before surgery.

Parkview Animal Hospital lost 10 milliliters of Ketamine and about 450 milliliters of Xylazene in Monday's break-in. McCaffery said the Ketamine stolen was the clinic's last bottle.

If taken in large quantities, Xylazene can cause heart attacks, Finnell said. Police fear users experimenting with the drug could overdose and die.

Finnell said Dexamethazone was an anti-inflammatory steroid with unknown uses as a narcotic. Lidocaine, a derivative of cocaine, is also used as a lesser anesthetic.