Zopiclone is a hypnosedative used to treat insomnia, but can be dangerous when abused by recreational users.

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A small cache of pills was seized from two travelers in Maryland, though no arrests were made, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.

Baggage inspectors at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) seized hundreds of potentially dangerous pills stashed in the luggage of two travelers returning from overseas this month, authorities announced on Friday.

On Saturday, Aug. 23, CBP officers found 360 Zopiclone 7.5 mg tablets in blister packs inside the baggage of a local arriving from Bogota, Colombia.

Just days earlier, on Wednesday, Aug. 20, officers discovered 279 Zopiclone tablets and 180 Alprazolam (Xanax) tablets packed in the bags of a US citizen arriving from Panama City, Panama, according to CBP.

Combined, the busts added up to 819 prohibited prescription pills.

Officials noted that while medicines like Zopiclone (a sleep aid) and Alprazolam (Xanax) are legitimate prescriptions, they can be addictive, dangerous when abused, and potentially deadly if cut with illicit chemicals.

"The Food and Drug Administration generally prohibits the importation of medicines manufactured overseas unless the medicines have been evaluated and approved by the FDA for import," investigators said.

"Medicines purchased overseas may be safe, but there is also the risk that medicines sold in black markets or on the global marketplace may contain unsafe and dangerous ingredients."

Neither traveler was arrested, but the medications were seized because importing large amounts of prescription drugs without a valid prescription is illegal, officials said.

“Consumers looking to save a buck and recreational users seeking a cheap high by buying pills online or on the street are betting with their lives that the pills they take are authentic and not lined with dangerous chemicals, such as fentanyl,” said Jason Kropiewnicki, CBP’s Acting Area Port Director in Baltimore.

The investigation at BWI is ongoing.