Border agents stopped a major drug shipment headed to Maryland earlier this month. Officers found 695 pounds of a powerful hallucinogen called dimethyltryptamine. The illegal drugs came from Mexico and would have reached Harford County. Authorities discovered the substances during routine cargo inspections at Baltimore's airport.
Three separate packages arrived between May 7 and May 27 from Chiapas, Mexico. Each delivery contained four boxes packed with vacuum-sealed bags. Scientists tested the brown powder and confirmed it was DMT. The 300 bags carried a street value of $550,000.
Federal law classifies DMT as a Schedule 1 drug with no medical benefits. People abuse this substance because it creates intense hallucinations. Users often call it Dimitri, elf spice, or the spirit molecule. The drug produces short but powerful trips similar to LSD effects.
Plants and animals naturally produce DMT, but criminals also make synthetic versions in laboratories. Some cultures have used the substance for religious ceremonies over many centuries. Recent studies suggest possible brain benefits, but dangerous side effects outweigh any advantages. Large doses distort senses and create vivid mental images.
Jason Kropiewnicki leads the Baltimore port office for Customs and Border Protection. He warns that global shipping allows dangerous dealers to import deadly substances from overseas manufacturers. Border inspections remain essential for protecting American communities from harmful drugs. These seizures demonstrate how agents work to stop illegal substances before they reach neighborhoods.
Three separate packages arrived between May 7 and May 27 from Chiapas, Mexico. Each delivery contained four boxes packed with vacuum-sealed bags. Scientists tested the brown powder and confirmed it was DMT. The 300 bags carried a street value of $550,000.
Federal law classifies DMT as a Schedule 1 drug with no medical benefits. People abuse this substance because it creates intense hallucinations. Users often call it Dimitri, elf spice, or the spirit molecule. The drug produces short but powerful trips similar to LSD effects.
Plants and animals naturally produce DMT, but criminals also make synthetic versions in laboratories. Some cultures have used the substance for religious ceremonies over many centuries. Recent studies suggest possible brain benefits, but dangerous side effects outweigh any advantages. Large doses distort senses and create vivid mental images.
Jason Kropiewnicki leads the Baltimore port office for Customs and Border Protection. He warns that global shipping allows dangerous dealers to import deadly substances from overseas manufacturers. Border inspections remain essential for protecting American communities from harmful drugs. These seizures demonstrate how agents work to stop illegal substances before they reach neighborhoods.
