U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Atlanta seized over five pounds of gamma butyrolactone (GBL), an industrial chemical solvent and a precursor chemical to the dangerous gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB). GBL has many street names such as liquid ecstasy and “coma in a bottle.”
Last Wednesday afternoon, Atlanta CBP officers referred a 26-year-old U.S. citizen for further examination after arriving on a flight from Spain. During the inspection of the traveler’s luggage, officers found two bottles that contained a clear liquid inside.
Officers used a handheld elemental isotope analysis tool to determine what the clear liquid/substance was and identified it as GBL. Under the Control Substance Act, GBL is a Schedule 1 chemical and known to causes symptoms such as sleepiness, drowsiness, memory loss and confusion to mention a few.
“Our CBP officers are highly trained to uncover various methods used to conceal controlled substances,” said John Quintana, CBP Atlanta Acting Area Port Director. “This seizure is a testament to our officers’ expertise in detecting illicit substances and the use of technology to identify and stop dangerous substances from making its way into our communities.”
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, including respiratory distress, coma, and death. GHB can be used by sexual predators as a date-rape drug, and by bodybuilders to increase growth hormone.
The officers seized the two and half quarts of liquid GBL and arrested the individual who was later turned over to Clayton County Police Department for state prosecution.