Two men were arrested after the UK’s Border Force discovered mail parcels containing MDMA pills hidden in dog and cat food. 

The parcels were shipped from Belgium and Germany, with two separate destinations in Scotland, the BBC reported. Altogether, about 8 kilograms, or more than 17 pounds, of pills were stashed in the pet food bags.

The UK’s National Crime Agency and Scotland police have launched individual investigations into the trafficking attempts. A 26-year-old Kirkcaldy man and a 20-year-old Forfar man have so far been arrested in connection with the pooch-bound pills. 

MDMA, also known as molly or ecstasy on the streets, is classified as an entactogen or empathogen. Unlike many psychedelics, it does not cause intense hallucinations. It does, however, generate intense euphoria, often accompanied by heightened senses, especially enhanced tactile sensations. MDMA can also vastly increase a person’s empathy, and in some cases, can even rewire the brain to overcome deep-seated fears or trauma. 

Although MDMA is banned worldwide, it’s currently being studied in the US and Europe as a treatment for incurable mental illnesses such as PTSD and chronic depression. Recent studies show MDMA can practically erase PTSD symptoms in some subjects in as little as two guided therapy sessions.

However, pharmaceutical-grade MDMA administered in controlled clinical settings isn’t the same shit sold on the streets. Lab analyses of street-bought MDMA have shown that what’s sold as molly isn’t even MDMA much of the time. Other, far more inferior drugs such as cathinones or piperazines are often pressed and sold as MDMA, yet usually don’t contain any traces of the empathogen.

What’s the take away here? First, MDMA ought to be legalized and regulated worldwide. Far more dangerous drugs are legally administered to patients, and MDMA is only illegal because the DEA needed a new drug to demonize during the 80s and 90s rave crazes. 

Second: If you’re a drug trafficker, sending your buttload of outlawed drugs through the government-run mail system is probably a really, really bad idea.

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