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Crime

German police seize 1 ton of hallucinogenic substance

David Martin
December 29, 2017

German authorities have uncovered 1 metric ton of a raw substance used to produce the drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT). A 25-year-old man has been arrested.

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Cardboard boxes of powder seized by the police
Image: Polizei

Police in the German town of Gummersbach near Cologne announced on Thursday that they had seized 1 metric ton of a crystalline powder used to produce the hallucinogenic drug dimethyltryptamine, more commonly known as DMT.

Authorities said it was the largest find of its kind in Germany.

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Although still unprocessed, the powdered substance itself falls under Germany's narcotics laws.

The suspect, a 25-year-old male, initially fled the scene but turned himself in to police after the district court in Gummersbach issued a warrant for his arrest. Authorities said the investigation into how he acquired the substance was ongoing.

A large bag filled with the DMT component found in the Gummersbach drug raid
Police uncovered 1 metric ton of the powder that goes into producing the potent hallucinogenic.Image: Polizei

What is DMT?

Dimethyltryptamine can be obtained from various rare plants and barks. Producers extract either a tarry substance or crystalline powder from these plants before mixing it with sodium hydroxide and heating it.

Once processed, the drug can be either smoked, injected or snorted. While often compared to LSD, the hallucinogenic experience caused by DMT is said to be significantly more potent, but with fewer long-lasting effects. However, if abused, it can reportedly cause permanent psychosis.