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  4. Dulles CBP Officers Seize 13 Pounds of LA-bound GBL

Dulles CBP Officers Seize 13 Pounds of LA-bound GBL

Release Date
Thu, 03/05/2020

STERLING, Va. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized five bottles of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) Monday that arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport in international mail from China.

The GBL was destined to an address in Los Angeles. The GBL will be destroyed.

Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 13 pounds of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) at Washington Dulles International Airport March 2, 2020 that was being shipped from Shanghai, China to Los Angeles. CBP officers inspected an express parcel and discovered five white, unlabeled, plastic bottles. Officers tested and confirmed the contents of the bottles as GBL. The combined weight of the GBL and plastic bottles was 6.05 kilograms or about 13 pounds, 5 ounces.

GBL is a DEA Schedule 1 controlled substance in the United States, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.

According to the DEA, GBL is a chemical precursor in the illicit manufacture of the schedule I controlled substance gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB). GBL is an odorless, colorless, central nervous system depressant that has addictive properties and potentially severe health consequences. Sexual predators have used GHB and GBL as a date-rape drug.

“This seizure is a perfect example of how Customs and Border Protection officers rely on extraordinary experience and keen intuition to intercept a mismanifested and dangerous substance that could potentially harm American citizens,” said Anne Maricich, CBP’s Acting Director of Field Operations, Baltimore Field Office. “CBP’s border security mission is vital to helping keep our nation and our citizens safe and secure every day.”

CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality. 

CBP seized an average of 3,707 pounds of dangerous drugs every day across the United States last year. Learn more about what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2019.

Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021