Chemicals used for MDMA, date-rape drug seized at Pearson Airport in Mississauga

Border agents have stopped more than 3,000 kilos of chemicals used to make MDMA and date-rape drugs from coming through Pearson Airport in Mississauga.

The shipments started showing up at Pearson earlier in the summer, according to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

Between June and July, the CBSA says agents intercepted 3,300 kg of PMK ethyl glycidate and 1,4-butanediol packed in multiple separate shipments.

The chemicals can be used to manufacture MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy or Molly, as well as other psychoactive drugs that have been used to commit physical and sexual assaults. The CBSA says 1,4-butanediol can produce an effect similar to Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), one of the most commonly used date-rape drugs.

“They act on the central nervous system and can cause changes in mood, awareness, and behavior,” the CBSA said in a release.

One container of liquid 1,4-butanediol seized by the CBSA between June and July 2023. Photo: CBSA

The CBSA says the packaged chemicals were all arriving from Asia and could have been used to make “millions of doses of MDMA and other drugs.”

The CBSA did not say whether any changes have been laid or are pending.

Anyone with information about suspicious cross-border activity is urged to contact the CBSA Border Watch toll-free line at 1-888-502-9060. You can also contact Crime Stoppers anonymously by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca.