Pubdate: Wed, 02 May 2001 Source: Augusta Chronicle, The (GA) Copyright: 2001 The Augusta Chronicle Contact: http://www.augustachronicle.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/31 Author: Gordon Jackson (Morris News Service) DRUG SUSPECT REPORTS DEALERS OF ECSTASY, LSD TARGET SAILORS WOODBINE, Ga. - A drug suspect arrested in a Camden County drug sweep last weekend said sailors are being targeted as potential customers to purchase Ecstasy and LSD because the drugs cannot be detected by tests three days after they are taken. The 19-year-old Jacksonville, Fla., man was one of seven people arrested during the weekend in a series of raids that netted 238 doses of Ecstasy and 1,025 tabs of LSD, according to the Camden County Sheriff's Office. The suspect made the statement from the Camden County jail Monday, at a news conference called to warn residents that increasing quantities of the drugs are being seized locally, Sheriff Bill Smith said. Most of the drugs are coming from the Jacksonville area, he said. "It's a big problem," Sheriff Smith said. "(Ecstasy and LSD have) taken over crack cocaine and powder cocaine. This is an appeal to the parents in the community." The Jacksonville man who spoke to the media is not among those listed on arrest reports. Police refused to say why they wouldn't identify the man. The unidentified suspect, who is charged with possession with a dangerous drug and possession with intent to distribute, said he volunteered to speak to reporters to help them understand the effects of the drugs and "to get the word out to the public." But a spokesman at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base disputed the suspect's assertion, saying the Navy tests for all illicit drugs, including LSD and Ecstasy, and the drugs can be detected within 30 days after they are used. "You don't generally attribute scruples to drug dealers," said Cmdr. Terry Evans, a base spokesman. "Ecstasy is checked for like other drugs such as LSD, cocaine and marijuana." Officials with the Camden County Sheriff's Office disagreed with Cmdr. Evans, however, saying the drugs, based on their knowledge, remain detectable for only three days. "I'm not a scientist," said William Terrell, a spokesman for the sheriff's office. "I'm just repeating what our investigators say." Mr. Terrell said he didn't know dealers were targeting sailors until the suspect made the statement. "The sheriff doesn't want this to explode in the county," Mr. Terrell said. "He is just trying to be pro-active." Ecstasy and LSD have been found on suspects before, but in the past few months the quantities have increased, Sheriff Smith said. Deaths from Ecstasy overdoses are increasing nationwide, he said, but there have been no reports of Camden County residents hospitalized from overdoses. That doesn't lessen the dangers, Sheriff Smith said. Both LSD and Ecstasy are manufactured in conditions where the dose strengths vary from pill to pill, making it unpredictable for users to determine how many pills to take, Sheriff Smith said. Ecstasy sells for about $25 a pill and LSD sells for $10 to $15 a pill, investigators said. Because of the cost, Ecstasy is used by middle- and upper-middle-class youths, Sheriff Smith said. While it's unclear where Ecstasy is manufactured, the suspect said LSD coming from the Jacksonville area is made by high school students using ingredients that can be purchased at a supermarket, combined with a mold that grows on plants. The suspect said Ecstasy - also known as MDMA - is popular among people younger than 30 because of the intense emotional sensations it creates, drug agents said. Ecstasy, which has killed some users, has side effects that include dehydration, muscle tension, nausea, convulsions, anxiety and paranoia. "It's a big problem. (Ecstasy and LSD have) taken over crack cocaine and powder cocaine. This is an appeal to the parents in the community."- Bill Smith, sheriff,Camden County, Ga.