Customs and Border Protection officers seize date-rape drug at Arizona border

NOGALES, AZ - A Mexican woman has been arrested at the southern Arizona border for allegedly possessing animal tranquilizers often used in the commission of "date rape" sexual assaults.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Mariposa Port referred 51-year-old Josefina Irene Dominguez for additional questioning and a vehicle search Monday. Officers say they found 310 vials of ketamine inside the vehicle.

The Drug Enforcement Administration describes ketamine as a clear, odorless and tasteless liquid developed in the early 1960s as an anesthetic.

Since ketamine also induces amnesia, authorities say it's sometimes given to unsuspecting victims prior to the commission of sexual assaults.

Authorities say the drugs were seized and Dominguez was referred for prosecution. Authorities didn't know Tuesday whether Dominguez had a lawyer yet for her case.