STERLING, Va. — Customs and Border Protection officers at Dulles International Airport intercepted and seized nearly 200 grams of MDMA on July 27.
Officers inspected three parcels that arrived from London, and were destined to Florida and New York. They found a combined 325 light green and yellow pills stamped with the "Punisher" skull logo on one side, and a crown symbol on the other.
Officers said they field-tested a sample of the pills, which tested positive for MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy or molly.
The weight of the pills was 198.7 grams, or a little over seven ounces, officials said, with a street value of around $20,000.
"This is an exceptional example of Customs and Border Protection officers exercising experience and intuition to intercept illicit and dangerous drugs at our nation’s ports of entry,” Casey Durst, CBP’s Director of the Baltimore Field Office, said in the press release. "Narcotics interdiction remains a CBP enforcement priority, and is one way in which we help to keep our communities safe."
MDMA is a synthetic hallucinogen, or a mood-altering substance. The National Institute on Drug Abuse said a high dose of MDMA can impact the body's ability to regulate temperature. In turn, this can lead to an increase in body temperate, sometimes causing liver, kidney or heart failure -- even death.
MDMA is a Schedule 1 drug, under the Controlled Substances Act.
