Customs Officers Seize Ecstasy, GBL At Washington Dulles Airport

DULLES, VA — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized ecstasy and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) in three separate international air cargo shipments Sunday at Washington Dulles International Airport, according to a CBP release.

Customs officers noticed anomalies in the shipments that had arrived from London. Ginna, a CBP narcotics detector dog, alerted them to the ecstasy parcel.

In one package, the officers found nearly 50 grams of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), which is more commonly known as ecstasy. The parcel was headed to an address in Greenville County, South Carolina.

Officers also discovered two parcels with 317 grams of GBL in each. One was going to Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and the other was on its way to an address in Madison County, Alabama.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies GBL as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, which means that it has a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the U.S., and a no accepted safety for use under medical supervision.

GBL is sold legally as an industrial solvent. Sexual predators have also used the substance as a precursor chemical in a date-rape drug. It is also abused as a bodybuilding supplement.

“This seizure is a perfect example of how Customs and Border Protection officers rely on extraordinary experience, keen intuition and trained canines to intercept dangerous substances that could potentially harm American citizens,” said Casey Durst, CBP’s director of field operations in Baltimore, in a statement. “CBP remains steadfast in our commitment to protecting our nation and our citizens every day against illicit, illegal and dangerous products.”

On Aug. 22, CBP officers at Dulles Airport seized five shipments containing 60 grams of ecstasy and 970 grams of GBL.