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Illicit Drugs
MDMA/Ecstasy
Overview of Criminal Activity
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), or ecstasy,was developed in Germany in the early 20th century as an appetite suppressant but its current illicit attraction is based upon its hallucinogenic effects that allegedly heighten one’s senses and lessens one’s inhibition. Its popularity with the rave culture also rests on its stimulant properties that enables users to continue dancing for hours at all-night clubs.
Western Europe continues to be a major source of the ecstasy, in either tablet or powder form, available in Canada. It is smuggled into Canada by a variety of groups originating from Europe and the Caribbean, through the use of the postal service, couriers aboard commercial flights, airfreight shipments, and marine containers. Market demand is also being met by domestic producers using sophisticated synthetic tableting labs.
