U.S. drug agents bust ecstasy ring

February 23, 2000
Web posted at: 2:20 p.m. EST (1920 GMT)

From Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas and Producer Terry Frieden

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Drug Enforcement Administration has disrupted what officials suspect was a multimillion-dollar ecstasy distribution ring run in part by Israeli organized crime, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

The New York-Tel Aviv ring allegedly sold hundreds of thousands of ecstasy pills each month in the New York area.

According to sources, the pills were produced in the Netherlands at a cost of 50 cents to $1 per pill and eventually were sold in New York, particularly at so-called rave clubs, for $25 to $50 each.

The eight-month undercover operation resulted in more than 70 arrests. Officials said the Dutch and Israeli national police took part in the investigation.

The use of so-called "club drugs," especially synthetic ones, is a growing problem. According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network, the number of hospital emergency room visits involving such drugs more than quadrupled between 1994 and 1998.

A 1999 DEA intelligence report said law officers had seized more than 1 million ecstasy tablets destined for the United States.

Ecstasy is a stimulant with mild hallucinogenic powers. Nicknamed "the love drug," it became popular during the 1980s among American yuppies who bought the pills with credit cards at exclusive clubs. In 1985, it was banned in the United States.

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Drug Enforcement Administration - DEA
  • Drugs of Concern - MDMA (Ecstasy)
NCADI- Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) homepage

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