C.B.P. News Release

20 Pounds of Synthetic Marijuana Seized by CBP in Louisville

(Monday, April 04, 2011)

Louisville — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Louisville UPS express consignment operation seized three shipments from China containing more than 20 pounds of the synthetic marijuana compound JWH-018.

CBP examination revealed an unidentifiable white powder in Ziploc bags, concealed within outer bags made of foil which was consistent with past interdictions of synthetic designer drugs. CBP Laboratory and Scientific Services in Chicago confirmed the material was JWH-018 and estimated that one gram of synthetic marijuana contains 1/10 tenth of a percent of JWH-018, which means over 200 pounds of synthetic marijuana could be produced using the seized shipments.

“Using synthetic marijuana is extremely dangerous. Users of these synthetic drugs have no real idea that what they are ingesting and that it is potentially lethal,â€