PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Philadelphia continue to intercept dangerous products and recently seized another large shipment of gamma butyrolactone (GBL) destined to an address in Chicago.
which is a precursor for the date rape drug.
The shipment, which arrived from Germany on March 22, was manifested as “Butanediol Samples,” and consisted of 10 bottles of a liquid packaged as cleaning solvent. Officers tested the liquid using a handheld elemental isotope analysis tool and identified the liquid as GBL, a DEA Schedule 1 controlled substance.
According to the DEA, GBL is a chemical analogue of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), a highly addictive central nervous system depressant that poses potentially severe health consequences. Sexual predators have used GBL as precursor chemical in a date-rape drug, and others abuse GBL as a bodybuilding supplement and human growth hormone.
The 10 bottles of GBL collectively weighed a little more than 12 liters, or about three gallons and 23 ounces. Officers seized the GBL on March 28.
No arrests have been made. An investigation continues.
This is the second recent seizure of GBL destined for Chicago. On January 20, CBP officers seized about 3.5 gallons of GBL that also shipped from Germany.
“This GBL seizure illustrates the vital role that thorough Customs and Border Protection inspections of international parcels plays in protecting unwitting victims from dangerous predators,” said Joseph Martella, Area Port Director for CBP’s Area Port of Philadelphia.
CBP officers and agents seized an average of 4,732 pounds of dangerous drugs every day at our nation’s air, land and sea ports of entry. See what else CBP accomplished during a typical day in 2021.
CBP's border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. 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.
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