AFP Warns of Tidal Wave of Deadly Drug ‘Fantasy’, Seizes 3.8 Tonnes in 2025

A substance found in industrial cleaning products, biodegradable plastics, and even spandex is flooding into Australia in unprecedented quantities. police say.

An Australian Federal Police technician tests a bottle that was subsequently found to contain 1,4-Butanediol (1,4-BD), which converts inside the body to GHB, a potentially fatal drug that figures in a large portion of rape and sexual assault cases. Supplied, AFP.

A potentially deadly substance found in industrial processes—from mixing cleaning products to producing spandex—is being brought into the country in what the Australian Federal Police (AFP) describes is a “tidal wave.”

More than 3.8 tonnes of the chemical solvent 1,4-Butanediol (1,4-BD) have already been seized between January 1 and April 30, 2025, and the AFP says it shows no sign of slowing.