HONOLULU — A German citizen who lives in Hawaii has been sentenced to probation for smuggling a type of oil that’s commonly used to make Ecstasy.
Documents filed in federal court in Honolulu say Wolfgang Hans Langlois put safrole oil in wine bottles hidden in household items he shipped from Germany to Kauai last year.
Customs agents intercepted the shipment and found the oil, which is legal but requires special permission to import.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Roberts says the amount of oil in 10 wine bottles could have produced more than 10,000 Ecstasy pills.
However, defense attorney William Harrison says Langlois wasn’t planning to use the oil to make Ecstasy. He says Langlois is a chemist and wanted to create a legal substance to help his wife with breast cancer.