U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Baltimore have seized 695 pounds of dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a powerful hallucinogenic drug, during a major operation on June 11. The shipments were destined for an address in Harford County, Maryland, and arrived via air cargo from Chiapas, Mexico between May 7 and May 27.
DMT, classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, produces intense psychedelic effects similar to LSD. Abusers often consume it by smoking, snorting, injecting, or brewing it into a tea such as Ayahuasca. Despite its popularity in the 1960s and a resurgence in recent years, DMT has no approved medical use in the United States.
The seizure included three separate shipments, each containing four boxes and totaling 300 vacuum-sealed packages. CBP officers, suspecting foul play, selected random bags for testing. The samples were sent to the CBP Laboratories and Scientific Services division, which confirmed the substance as DMT on June 6.
The packages weighed a total of 315.5 kilograms (695 pounds and nine ounces) and carried an estimated street value of $555,000. Authorities have since seized the drugs, and the investigation is ongoing.
Jason Kropiewnicki, Acting Area Port Director in Baltimore, stressed the importance of inspections at entry points. “The global marketplace has allowed unscrupulous people in our communities to order dangerous drugs, such as DMT, from overseas manufacturers that could hurt and potentially kill abusers,” he said. “Seizures like this are one way CBP helps to protect our communities.”
CBP officers and agents continue to seize an average of 1,571 pounds of illegal drugs each day at U.S. ports of entry.
12 June 2025
Source: US Customs
