Philadelphia customs officials announced this week the seizure of an illegal shipment of gamma butyrolactone, an industrial chemical used to make date-rape drugs. A similar bust last year (pictured) got 10 bottles of the liquid. Photo courtesy of Customs and Protection/Twitter
April 27 (UPI) — Federal Customs officials in Philadelphia say they intercepted a six-gallon shipment of gamma butyrolactone, an industrial chemical frequently used by sexual predators as a date rape drug.
Customs and Border Protection officials said Wednesday that the solvent, contained in a pair of clear plastic jugs, was headed from France to the Tampa, Florida area when it was intercepted at the Port of Philadelphia.
Gamma Butyrolactone, or GBL, is a Drug Enforcement Agency Schedule 1 controlled substance. It is a commonly used industrial chemical solvent and intermediate, found in paint removers, cleaners, adhesives and nail polish removers, according to the Department of Justice.
However, it is often abused as a substitute or precursor to the dangerous gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, or GBH, due to its intoxicating effects. GBL/GHB is abused by sexual predators as a date rape drug and by bodybuilders to increase growth hormones.
Due to its effects, GBL is known on the streets as liquid ecstasy and “eat in a bottle”.
No arrests have yet been made in connection with the recent raid, authorities said.
“Customs and Border Protection will continue to use our border security authority to search for suspicious international packages and interdict dangerous products that could seriously harm U.S. citizens,” CBP Acting Port Director Rene Ortega said in a statement. a declaration. “This is a mission and a responsibility that we take very seriously.”
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