DMT Today (Part 2)
2021 was a record year for large DMT busts
See photo credits below.
The following is an excerpt from p. 173-176 of Chapter 3, “Everywhere, All the Time: DMT and Drugism” from my new book, Drugism (2022):
[This week’s excerpt is continued from last week’s—read Part 1 here.]
Media reports of DMT seizures increased drastically in 2021, both in the US and globally. The drug has apparently become a focus of the federal government, particularly the Department of Homeland Security, which has figured centrally in several recent busts.
Reports of DMT seizures increased drastically in 2021.
In January, 2021 in Oildale, California, police found a DMT lab along with nearly 23 pounds of DMT, 10 pounds of cannabis, 3 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, several vials of LSD, and a loaded gun. They also encountered two children in the raid, who were subsequently delivered to the custody of Child Protective Services. The kids’ father was arrested, given multiple charges, and jailed.[i]
As the above bust occurred, another was unfolding at an airport in Louisville, Kentucky. There, over the course of a week, customs agents intercepted ten separate packages from Peru which contained, collectively, 229 pounds of DMT. The packages were headed to various addresses in the US, Spain, Italy, and Hong Kong.[ii]
In March, in Keystone Heights, Florida, authorities found a DMT lab along with live cannabis plants, guns and ammunition in a home. A report on the raid explained that it came about as an investigation conducted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the DEA, after DHS agents intercepted packages of mescaline from Peru addressed to the man.[iii]
In April, in Decatur, Texas, authorities raided a house where they found a DMT lab, 28 pounds of DMT, and “unprocessed DMT root” (again, presumably Mimosa). They also found three children, who were placed in the custody of Child Protective Services. The intelligence which led to the raid came from the Department of Homeland Security, after a package of drugs from Spain was intercepted on its way to the house. The children’s parents, who lived at the house, were arrested.[iv]
In May in Nashville, Tennessee, agents intercepted a package containing more than 4 pounds of DMT from Brazil. The woman who received the package was arrested and jailed. Authorities also seized cannabis and a gun from her home.[v]
In June, a package containing 13 pounds of DMT from Mexico City was intercepted on its way to Arkansas. Agents from the Department of Homeland Security then arrested three people who were the suspected recipients of the package.[vi]
In July, another package of DMT from Mexico was intercepted, this one on its way to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. It contained nearly 40 pounds of DMT. One person was arrested. Again, the Department of Homeland Security was involved in the bust.[vii]
In August, in Hanover, New Jersey, police arrested a woman they found in possession of more than 6.5 pounds of DMT. The arrest was the result of “a joint investigation by federal, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies” including the Department of Homeland Security.[viii]
The following month in Eastham, Massachusetts, a SWAT team found a DMT lab and a loaded, illegally-owned gun in a house that was also being used as the headquarters of a dark web drug business. The person suspected of running the business was arrested and jailed.[ix]
DMT seizures seem to have increased globally in 2021 as well.
In January, 2021 in Bali an Australian national was arrested after authorities found nearly a kilogram of DMT in their possession. A representative from Bali’s National Narcotics Agency said the drug came from Peru.[x]
In June a federal law enforcement agency in Bangladesh seized a small amount of DMT, some LSD, and a couple of ounces of cannabis from a group of current and former college students. They allegedly received the DMT in the mail, but it is not clear where it came from. It was the first time that DMT was found and seized by authorities in Bangladesh.[xi]
In September in Australia, several Australian law enforcement agencies collaborated on a seizure of 4 kilograms of DMT which was headed to an Australian address from Mexico. They also found a DMT lab and arrested one person. Among the agencies involved was the Australian Department of Home Affairs, an agency which takes direct inspiration from the US Department of Homeland Security.[xii]
Such reports illustrate a dramatic increase of DMT imports in recent years. Federal authorities in multiple nations have intercepted DMT from the Netherlands, Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. Mexico and Peru, it seems, have been the largest sources of DMT, if these reports are any indication of broader trends.
And, simultaneously with this increase, domestic production of DMT has not subsided. In the above reports there are still plenty of examples of DMT labs within the US—more even than in prior years. It is quite possible that several of the above-mentioned seizures of “DMT” refer not to pure DMT but instead to dried plant matter such as Mimosa hostilis. Law enforcement has been known to report Mimosa seizures as DMT.[xiii] That some of these seizures may be bark rather than crystal is supported by the fact that there are DMT labs at many of their destination addresses.
As we learned in Part 1, DMT use in the US doubles every few years. With this increase, we have seen the number of media-reported DMT busts grow as well. A decade ago, there was one every year or two. Then, reliably, at least one a year. By the end of the decade, two or three busts each year were reported. And now, major DMT busts occur monthly.
All of which clearly demonstrates that DMT has, indeed, been commodified. There is money in it, for illicit chemists and dealers, law enforcement agencies, and pharmaceutical companies.
DMT has been commodified. There is money in it, for illicit chemists and dealers, law enforcement, and Big Pharma.
And all of this DMT comes from somewhere. I do not just mean the Netherlands or Mexico—I mean it actually is harvested from plants, often native ones, somewhere in this planet’s beautiful ecosphere. Tragically, the sharp increase in use and sale of DMT has brought with it environmental destruction of natural DMT sources.
This has been noted in Australia, Brazil, and Peru, each of which source DMT-containing plants (Acacia, Mimosa, and Psychotria, respectively).[xiv] In all of these places, destruction of native populations of these plants has been observed by DMT and ayahuasca enthusiasts. Ironically, drugs like ayahuasca and DMT are often associated with environmental awareness, and are even thought to catalyze it.
Unfortunately, lust for trips and money tends to dominate over environmental concerns, particularly in the case of an illegal drug whose consumer base doubles every six years. Hopefully, legalization and regulation of ayahuasca and DMT will mitigate some or all of this damage. Realistically, however, we know that even legal industries are perfectly capable of environmental destruction.
The sharp increase in DMT production has brought with it environmental destruction of natural DMT sources.
Environmentalism is not the only political issue that has arisen for enthusiasts of DMT and ayahuasca. More generally, political differences among the drugs’ adherents have produced tension which has been expressed in several outlets. For example, Chacruna journalists Gretel Echazú and Pietro Benedito have drawn attention to the fact that some leaders within the Brazilian branch of UDV support the corrupt and arguably fascist [outgoing] president Jair Bolsonaro. Additionally, an internal memo from UDV was leaked which expressed harsh condemnation of homosexuality.[xv]
Stateside, Brian Pace at Psymposia has expressed concern for the fact that one of DMT’s biggest advocates, Joe Rogan, also uses his show as a platform for reactionary, conservative figures such as Ben Shapiro and, if I may add, Alex Jones. [Note: Rogan is an admittedly complex figure; he dabbles in various areas of the political spectrum and has also hosted Bernie Sanders, who he endorsed for president in 2016.][xvi]
Along the way, DMT Nexus has emerged as a hub of sorts for DMT enthusiasts, particularly those of anti-authoritarian or anti-capitalist inclination.[xvii] The Nexus is the product a do-it-yourself, open source mentality—the kind that so often blossoms directly from civil disobedience of prohibitive drug laws. On it, people swap DIY extraction recipes for DMT and discuss topics such as DMT’s commodification and the environmental impact of its production.
In the coming years, DMT and ayahuasca will likely continue to grow in popularity.
These are just some of the issues that have been brought up in discussions pertaining to DMT and the politics of its users. Almost certainly, such discussions and the complexities they navigate will only increase in the coming years, as DMT and ayahuasca continue to grow in popularity.
Before you go, check out my new project, https://illicit.news. We have a Kickstarter campaign this month with several rewards for donation.
Endnotes
[i] Duchamps, “Man Arrested Over…”
[ii] Weiter, “Nearly 230 pounds…”
[iii] Kless, “Sheriff says Keystone…”
[iv] Escobedo and Zakalik, “Decatur couple who…”
[v] Breslow, “2 kilos of…”
[vi] “Agents intercept 6...”
[vii] “Psychedelic drug DMT...”
[viii] Musson, “Morris Country Woman…”
[ix] Blair and Lu, “Police Raid Finds…”
[x] “Australian National Arrested...”
[xi] “RAB arrests 4...”
[xii] Australian Federal Police, “Northern Territory man...,” and Brew, “A quick guide…”
[xiii] See 22:00 through 25:00 in “Wizards of DMT.”
[xiv] St John, 163-164; Nen and Nickles, “When DMT Equals…”; iracema, “For those who…”; Moran, “Is Ayahuasca Really…”
[xv] Echazú and Benedito, “Sexual Assault and…”
[xvi] Pace, “Lucy in the…”; “COMPILATION: Debunking Media’s…”
[xvii] St John, 157.
Sources
“Agents intercept 6 kilos of hallucinogenic drugs bound for Northeast Arkansas.” KAIT 8, Jul 26, 2021.
Australian Federal Police. “Northern Territory man charged with allegedly attempting to import hallucinogens from Mexico.” Sep 17, 2021.
“Australian National Arrested for Alleged Possession of Psychedelic Drug DMT.” Coconuts Bali, Feb 17, 2021.
Blair, Cam and Jasmine Lu. “Police Raid Finds Eastham DMT Lab, Illegal Guns.” The Provincetown Independent, Sep 15, 2021.
Breslow, Josh. “2 kilos of hallucinogenic drug disguised as body paint delivered to Nashville home.” WKRN, May 27, 2021.
Brew, Nigel. “A quick guide to the history of proposals for an Australian department of homeland security.” Parliament of Australia, Jul 14, 2017.
“COMPILATION: Debunking Media’s ‘Right Wing’ Rogan Narrative |Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar.” Breaking Points, Feb 10, 2022.
Duchamps, Lorenz. “Man Arrested Over DMT Lab, Drug Bust Nets Over $1 Million in ‘Dangerous Narcotics.’” New Tang Dynasty, Jan 14, 2021.
Echazú, Gretel and Pietro Benedito. “Sexual Assault and Gender Politics in Ayahuasca Traditions: A View from Brazil.” Chacruna, Dec 4, 2018.
Escobedo, Jozelyn and Lauren Zakalik. “Decatur couple who ‘attended church regularly’ was running drug lab out of home near school zone, authorities say.” WFAA, May 5, 2021.
iracema. “For those who believe in sustainable MHRB sourcing.” DMT-Nexus, Jul 22, 2013.
Kless, Troy. “Sheriff says Keystone Heights man was making DMT, explosives in a lab on his property.” MSN, Mar 29, 2021.
Moran, Kerry. “Is Ayahuasca Really Disappearing?” Chacruna, Oct 2, 2017.
Musson, Valerie. “Morris Country Woman, 35, Found With Nearly 7 Pounds Of Psychedelic Drug DMT, Police Say.” Morris Daily Voice, Aug 31, 2021.
Nen and David Nickles. “When DMT Equals Killing the Environment.” The Nexian, Oct 1, 2014.
Pace, Brian. “Lucy In The Sky With Nazis: Psychedelics and the Right Wing.” Psymposia, Feb 3, 2020.
“Psychedelic drug DMT found in wood bark seized by Customs in Memphis.” Fox 13 Memphis, Jul 26, 2021.
“RAB arrests 4 with hallucinogenic drugs LSD, DMT.” Dhaka Tribune, Jun 27, 2021.
St John, Graham. Mystery School in Hyperspace: A Cultural History of DMT. Evolver Editions, Berkeley, CA. 2015.
Weiter, Taylor. “Nearly 230 pounds of DMT seized in Louisville by Customs and Border Patrol.” WHAS 11, Jan 13, 2021.
“Wizards of DMT.” Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia [Season 2, Episode 4]. Dec 12, 2017.
Photo credits
Photo of Customs and Border Patrol badge from KAIT 8 at: https://www.kait8.com/2021/07/26/agents-intercept-6-kilos-hallucinogenic-drugs-bound-northeast-arkansas/
Photo of law enforcement intercepting DMT shipment from the Australian Federal Police at: https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/northern-territory-man-charged-allegedly-attempting-import-hallucinogens
Photo of Jair Bolsonaro from CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/29/americas/jair-bolsonaro-fast-facts/index.html
Photo of illegal DMT lab from Psychedelic Lounge at https://www.facebook.com/psychedeliclounge1/photos/pb.100082003010835.-2207520000./125443916787594/?type=3
Photo of Joe Rogan from Forbes at https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2021/04/28/joe-rogan-accused-of-spreading-anti-vaccine-misinformation/?sh=a01da181cabb
The photo of Rogan has been edited so as to appear as though he is holding a vial of DMT, which was taken from Psychedelic Lounge at https://www.facebook.com/psychedeliclounge1/photos/pb.100082003010835.-2207520000./147383881260264/?type=3
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