Mark Henle/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Cincinnati intercepted two shipments of deadly tianeptine, known on the street as “gas station heroin.” The shipments were in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).
Tianeptine is a deadly, addictive, and, in the United States, an illegal substance. According to a CBP press release, “Although other countries have approved tianeptine, corporations are making dangerous and unproven claims that tianeptine can improve brain function and treat anxiety, depression, pain, opioid use disorder, and other conditions.”
US Customs and Border Protection
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on the other hand, “has identified cases in which people experienced other serious harmful effects from abusing or misusing tianeptine by itself or with other drugs, including antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines. These effects included agitation, drowsiness, confusion, sweating, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, slowed or stopped breathing, coma, and death.”
The gas station heroin that were seized at the port of Cincinnati originated from the same manufacturer in Hong Kong. Both shipments’ destination was the same residence in Lubbock, Texas. The street value of the nine pounds of seized tianeptine is over $209,000.
“Our officers are exceptional at what they do and are part of the best frontline defense in the world,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago Field Office. “The interception of this chemical compound is definitely significant as it prevented dangerous drugs from entering our communities and possibly causing harm to innocent people.”
Last month it was reported that CBP officers in Philadelphia intercepted another shipment of gas station heroin destined for an address in Edgewater, N.J. CBP officers discovered the tianeptine in parcels that were each manifested as “deep groove ball bearings.” Both shipments originated in Hong Kong.
CBP officers intercepted a shipment of a potentially dangerous tianeptine, known on the street as “gas station heroin.” Tianeptine has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for any use in the United States https://t.co/qVyUJFXppa pic.twitter.com/IpZ6EX5s7W
— Director, Field Operations Matthew Davies (@DFOBaltimore) January 13, 2025
New Jersey, where these parcels were being sent, issued a health alert after authorities identified a cluster of poisoning cases involving tianeptine.
“The New Jersey Poison Center (NJPIES) has recently identified a cluster of poisoning cases involving tianeptine, a substance with opioid-like effects that is being falsely marketed and sold across the state in gas stations and online as a dietary supplement,” the alert read. “Common names for tianeptine include ‘gas station heroin,’ ‘ZaZa Red,’ or ‘Neptune’s Elixir’ (among others). Tianeptine use can lead to serious health complications and even death.”