Customs and Border Protection personnel at Dulles International Airport grabbed 71 pounds of a new synthetic stimulant similar to amphetamines last week, the agency announced Wednesday.
The chemical name for the substance is N,N-Dimethylpentylone hydrochloride, an analogue for the naturally occurring chemical cathinone found in the khat plant. Cathinone chemicals are like amphetamines and can cause stimulant and hallucinogenic effects.
U.S officials first identified the drug on American streets in 2021, where it had been sold to consumers as ecstasy. On June 26, CBP agents intercepted two boxes sent from China to an address in the District of Columbia manifested as beauty products.
Upon inspecting what was inside the packages, officers found multiple vacuum-sealed bags containing chunks of a white crystalline substance. Testing found that N,N-Dimethylpentylone hydrochloride was the drug in question.
“The synthetic stimulant market tries to stay one step ahead of law enforcement by continually tweaking cathinone‘s chemical compounds to create new, yet still dangerous, analogues,” Christine Waugh, CBP acting area port director for D.C., said in a statement.
CBP did not mention how much the synthetic cathinone would have sold for on the street.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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