WPBN: Two distinct shipments of a drug known as “gas station heroin,” which was smuggled from Hong Kong, were stopped by federal authorities in New Jersey. The shipments that were seized weighed about 22 pounds and 8 ounces in total. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) conducted these seizures at a southern New Jersey international express consignment business.
Authorities claim that the illegal consignment was passed off as a genuine shipment of “deep groove ball bearings.” Several bags containing a white powdery material were found within the box. Officials tested the drug and determined that it was tianeptine, a tricyclic antidepressant.
While the second package was found earlier this month, the first shipment was noticed by CBP officers in late November. Suspicions regarding coordinated distribution were raised by the fact that both packages were meant to be delivered to the same Edgewater, New Jersey location.
Tianeptine is not approved for medical usage in the United States, while being legal and used medicinally in some countries in Europe, Asia, and South America. It is sold in these areas as a remedy for a number of ailments, such as sadness, anxiety, and irritable bowel syndrome, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Nonetheless, tianeptine has become notorious in the US due to its abuse and negative connotations. Although it has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is frequently marketed and illegally sold as a “dietary supplement” in retail establishments.
Because tianeptine has serious health hazards, the FDA has issued warnings about it. The substance is commonly used with alcohol to create a comparable boost or with opioid medicines to intensify their effects. Serious health issues and, in some cases, fatalities have been related to this abuse.
CBP underlined that the drug’s potential for abuse makes it a serious public health concern. Even though it is banned in the United States, tianeptine is nevertheless smuggled in, frequently masquerading as dietary supplements or other deceptive labels.
In light of the continuous efforts of federal authorities to crack down on the unlawful importation of harmful chemicals, several shipments have been seized, which brings attention to the situation.
The authorities are currently conducting an investigation into the origins of these shipments as well as their intended distribution. Their goal is to dismantle the networks that facilitate the trafficking of this substance that has not been licensed and is hazardous.
“The exponential growth of the global marketplace has allowed nefarious opportunists an abundantly accessible supply of synthetic opioid and cannabinoid compounds that they then mix with other dangerous substances to create a potent and potentially deadly drug of abuse,” CBP Area Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia Cleatus Hunt stated in the agency’s statement.
“Customs and Border Protection officers remain committed to working with our Food and Drug Administration partners to keep dangerous synthetic compounds out of the hands of criminal organizations by intercepting it at our nation’s borders when we encounter it.”
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