Justin L. Mack

Federal officials working a special operation at Indianapolis International Airport in September seized 27 gallons of a chemical known as a “date-rape” drug.

According to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, officers were at the airport last month working express consignment operations.

Throughout the month, 27 gallons of the intoxicant gamma-Butyrolactone came into the airport from various countries, the release states.

In most cases, the destinations included locations in the United States, officials said. Misleading invoice descriptions were attached to shipments in an attempt to disguise the contents.

“These are significant interceptions by our CBP officers during the month of September,” Ted Thomas, acting port director in Indianapolis, said in a statement.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, GBL is an industrial solvent commonly used to make products such as pesticides, elastic fibers, pharmaceuticals and coating on metal or plastic.

GBL is also sold illicitly as a supplement for bodybuilding, fat loss, reversal of baldness and improved eyesight. Others use it to combat aging, depression, drug addiction and insomnia, the release states.

It has become a popular recreational drug in recent years, the release states. GBL also has been used to leave a person incapable of resisting advances, which is why it is commonly referred to as a “date-rape” drug.

The sale of GBL is illegal for any purpose other than intended industrial and legitimate applications, officials said.

CBP told The Star that their Indianapolis branch has a lot of success in the seizure of illicit shipments, but does not believe that this seizure is connected to others that have taken place at the airport.

Call Star reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.