Passenger arrested at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport after ‘liquid ecstasy’ found in luggage – WSB-TV Channel 2

CLAYTON COUNTY, Georgia – Customs and Border Protection officers at Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport arrested a passenger after they said they discovered five pounds of a dangerous and deadly drug in his luggage.

According to CBP, the drug was hidden in containers with a capacity of 2.5 liters.

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The test revealed gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), essentially the same chemical found in (GHB). Authorities say this addictive and dangerous sedative is also known as the “coma in a bottle” and the “date rape drug.”

According to authorities, this method is used by sex offenders to render unsuspecting victims unconscious.

“People pass out. They lose consciousness. They have no idea what happened to them. They can have seizures. They wake up with a horrific result, have to go to the hospital, learn they were raped and they don't remember it,” said Kim Castro, a drug counselor.

Castro said Tom Regan from Channel 2 She has treated patients who had been victims of assault after being given the drug, usually in a drink.

“It's such a small amount that you don't even know you're getting injected. This happened to one of my clients and there were videos taken of her that had long-term effects. When you're unconscious, anything can happen,” Castro said.

Regan also spoke to a nurse in the Atlanta metropolitan area's emergency room who has treated a dozen patients who have overdosed on GHB.

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“Often, patients are so comatose that they can no longer breathe on their own and need a breathing tube. There are cases where people have taken it for pleasure and just had too much of it, and there are cases where people have been out with friends or people they don't know. And then suddenly they're in the hospital and don't know why,” says nurse Kendra Krieg.

Krieg says GHB is particularly dangerous because it is tasteless, odorless, untraceable and can have extreme consequences even with a dropper dose. She said it worries her to think about how the seized drugs would be used.

“This is very scary. This could be used for sex trafficking. It could be used for all sorts of things,” Krieg said.

Authorities said the 26-year-old man arrived on a flight from Spain. His name has not yet been released.

CBP officials said they arrested the suspect and turned him over to local law enforcement, but it was unclear which agency was holding the suspect.

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