Throughout the month of March, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed in Cincinnati seized 83 shipments of illegal synthetic narcotics, totaling more than 290 pounds.
Included in the seizures were more than 36 pounds of furanyl fentanyl, 233 pounds of the designer date rape drug GBL, and smaller amounts of “bath salt”-type drugs, alpha PVP and N-ethylpentylone. Each of the narcotics appear under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, which are defined as providing no medical value and carry a high potential for abuse.
“This recent enforcement effort was designed to stem the flow of synthetic narcotics to popular Spring Break destinations,” Steven Thompson, acting port director for Cincinnati CBP, said. “The inherently lethal nature of these designer drugs underscores the importance of these sorts of interceptions, and the importance of our officers’ dedication to finding these potentially deadly substances.”
The shipments appear to have originated in China and were addressed to individuals throughout 17 U.S. states and Canada. In attempts to conceal their contents, the packages were improperly manifested as objects like silicon resin, hardware nuts, snap hooks, plastic sheet samples, and nano-hydrophobic coatings.
Six shipments of fentanyl were addressed to a single individual in Camden, New Jersey. Subsequent investigative operations resulted in the arrest of an alleged drug dealer and a seizure of an additional 30 pounds of fentanyl.
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 the nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry.