Pubdate: Mon, 08 Jan 2001
Source: News-Times, The (CT)
Copyright: 2001 The News-Times
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Author: The Associated Press

ECSTASY SALES ON THE RISE IN CONNECTICUT

Police are seeing a boom in Ecstasy sales throughout Connecticut, 
prompting plans for crackdowns on the drug in the next several 
months. In recent months, police have made a string of high-profile 
Ecstasy arrests. In Groton and Glastonbury, police said they broke up 
Ecstasy rings that employees were operating out of pizza parlors.

Though the cases were not connected, authorities say they show how 
the drug has extended beyond the downtown clubs and into the suburbs.

Lt. Dale Hourigan, head of the Statewide Narcotics Task Force, said 
anyone caught using or selling the drug risks a prison term of up to 
15 years and a fine of up to $50,000.

Investigators at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton have become 
increasingly concerned about sailors who go to clubs on weekends to 
use Ecstasy, which sells for $20 to $30 a pill in Connecticut.

``The Navy has young sailors 18 to 20 years old who frequent local 
clubs in Connecticut, including Hartford, and we realize they may be 
exposed to illegal drugs like Ecstasy,'' said Chris Zendan, the 
public affairs officer at the sub base. ``We are establishing a 
presence at these clubs to make sure sailors realize we have zero 
tolerance for illegal drug use.''

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, reacting to the growing use of 
Ecstasy among young people, is trying to thwart illegal shipments of 
Ecstasy into the state and is targeting local distributors.

The problem for parents and others who worry about Ecstasy use, 
Hourigan said, is that the drug shows none of the obvious physical 
signs of other illegal drugs. It's not considered physically 
addictive, and there's no odor or slurred speech to detect.

Yet those using the drug are often distracted by sounds or colors and 
often have trouble concentrating, experts say. Other signs of Ecstasy 
use include increased heart rate, sweating and rapid eye movement, 
according to the DEA.

The drug may be growing in popularity, experts say, because of the 
affection and empathy it seems to cause among users. Police have 
noticed the passive demeanor of the users.

``At least it's not like crack, where you had people fighting you all 
the time when you tried to arrest them,'' said Lt. Mark Pawlina, head 
of Hartford's major crimes division. ``It doesn't seem to make them 
very violent from what we've seen.''

In New Haven, police are beginning to pay close attention to the drug.

First came the warnings from state officials and federal narcotics 
officials about two years ago, said Sgt. Michael Canning, head of the 
New Haven Police Department's narcotics force. The drug that was a 
big hit on the New York club scene, the notices said, was expected to 
follow the path of other drugs before it: Stamford, Bridgeport, New 
Haven, Hartford.

Then came the crack bust last year when police found a young man with 
Ecstasy on him. Then came an emergency call from a young clubgoer who 
needed his stomach pumped after ingesting Ecstasy.

In October, federal agents arrested an Amsterdam native who, they 
say, headed a drug operation sending shipments of thousands of grams 
of Ecstasy to New Haven over a period of months.

``I can't even say it's up-and-coming, because it's here. It's 
already here,'' said Canning, who fears Ecstasy has yet to reach its 
full force in Connecticut.

The elusive nature of the drug makes it tough for police to sort out 
who's using and who's not.

``You can't see them take it, you can't smell it. We have to look for 
other clues,'' Canning said.
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