OROVILLE – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) took a Canadian man into custody after they found him in possession of nearly 600 pills of ecstasy at the Oroville Port of Entry

Alexis Boudreau, 21, from Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada was taken into custody by CBP officers after he arrived at the Oroville Port of Entry as one of three passengers in a Mazda sports utility vehicle, according to the Office of Field Operations, (OFO), Seattle Field Office, which announced several actions that took place at ports of entry in Washington State during the week of May 5 through May 10.

The driver claimed that they had recently moved to British Columbia and had gotten lost in an attempt to locate a local beach on Osoyoos Lake. A search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of a backpack claimed by Boudreau containing 597 pills of the illicit drug ecstasy. One other passenger was discovered to be in possession of a small amount of marijuana and was issued a criminal citation by the Washington State Patrol for being in possession under of the age of 21.

Ecstasy is the street name for the drug Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) and was classified as a Schedule I drug in 1985, meaning it is deemed to have no medical use and a high potential for abuse. Under a United Nations agreement it has also been criminalized in most countries in the world. The long term health effects from abuse of the drug are generally of concern to public health officials.