CINCINNATI — A shipment of a deadly, addictive, and illegal substance, known as “gas station heroin,” was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Cincinnati last month.
The shipment of 12 pounds of the substance Tianeptine was seized on Jan. 26, according to CBP. It had come to Cincinnati from Hong Kong and was heading to Houston, Texas.
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The domestic value of the shipment was over $246,000.
While it is approved in other countries, the drug is not approved in the United States. CBP said corporations have made “dangerous and unproven” claims that the drug can improve brain function and treat conditions such as depression and opioid use disorder.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified several cases where people experienced serious harmful effects, including coma and death, from abusing or misusing the drug by itself or with other drugs.
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Despite warnings issued by the FDA, vendors continue to market and sell Tianeptine.
“The FDA is especially concerned about the illegal importation of unsafe drugs like tianeptine which has been shown to pose a significant risk to patients and consumers,” said Assistant Commissioner for Import Operations Dan Solis.
Governors in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky have all outlawed the drug that’s also known as gas station heroin, according to WKRC in Cincinnati.
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