Pubdate: Thu,  4 Jul 2002
Source: Sun Journal, The (NC)
Copyright: 2002 The New Bern Sun Journal
Contact:  http://www.newbernsunjournal.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1733
Author: Mike Sherrill, Freedom ENC
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

LEJEUNE DRUG SWEEP RESULTS IN 84 ARRESTS

JACKSONVILLE -- Most of the active-duty military service members from Camp 
Lejeune arrested in a two-year drug sweep that ended in June have already 
been sentenced, Marine Corps officials said Wednesday.

Of the 84 military personnel arrested in Operation Xterminator, one of the 
largest military drug operations ever, all but two have been charged and 
sentenced with either possessing or distributing illegal drugs, military 
officials said Wednesday during a press conference at Camp Lejeune.

They received sentences from 3 to 19 years and dishonorable discharges, 
said Camp Lejeune spokesman Maj. Steve Cox. Three arrested were sailors. 
The rest were Marines.

The other two cases are pending and so far the military has found no 
suspects innocent, said Special agent Robin Knapp of the Naval Criminal 
Investigative Service, which spearheaded the probe that mainly focused on 
designer drugs like Ecstasy.

It was a joint investigation that included Jacksonville police, Onslow 
County sheriff's deputies, the Wilmington-New Hanover City-County Vice 
Narcotics Unit and the State Bureau of Investigation.

The sting also led to 99 civilian arrests for both drug use and 
distribution. Many of those cases are still pending in court, Cox said. One 
civilian arrested was a military dependent, and another was a U.S. 
Department of Defense employee.

The investigation, which began two years ago, drew the attention of the 
national media this week, but civilian and military officials put the 
arrests in perspective. They compared the 84 military arrests to the 
roughly 50,000 to 60,000 Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune and area bases. 
Marines already undergo random drug testing and face prosecution for a 
positive test.

"Drug use is a societal issue," Cox said. "We would be naive to think it 
doesn't happen here, but that is such a small percentage of the Marines we 
have here."

Onslow County authorities agreed.

"The Marine Corps is exemplary," Onslow County Sheriff's Capt. John 
Matthews said. "When you get 50,000 to 60,000 people you're going to have 
major problems, but not in Jacksonville."

The investigation began in fall 1999 when NCIS agents received information 
that a growing number of Marines were traveling to Wilmington to 
participate in what Knapp called "the rave scene."

Raves are parties sometimes held in clubs or warehouses where Ecstasy is 
often consumed.

The departments' combined efforts led to arrests and the seizure of an 
unspecified number of Ecstasy pills, marijuana, methamphetamines, LSD and 
GHB. The total haul was estimated at $1.4 million.

"The majority was used in clubs, the type consistent with the rave scene," 
Knapp said. "Keep in mind, some of these individuals use them outside of 
the rave scene and in their homes."

While investigators believe drugs may have been consumed on Camp Lejeune, 
they do not believe they were manufactured there, Knapp said.

He also said those arrested did not form a drug ring, but some knew each 
other from "going to these same type of places and just hanging out with them."

While officials touted the interaction between the different law 
enforcement departments, they were unclear on other details like the 
amounts of various drugs taken or the total man-hours required to make the 
arrests.

"A lot of time was put into this," Knapp said. "A lot of people sacrificed 
a lot of personal time for this investigation."

Knapp would not say how much those arrested for distribution actually 
dealt, saying the investigation focused on a sale whether it was "one pill 
or 500 pills."

Officials would not name specific Onslow or New Hanover clubs where drug 
use was alleged to be prevalent because, they said, the management of those 
clubs may not know of the drug use in their establishments.

In June 2001, Camp Lejeune officials banned Marines from a Wilmington 
after-hours "bottle club" Dot.Comm, since renamed Club Neo'z. At the time, 
Lejeune leaders said drug use was prevalent in the club. No other 
Wilmington nightclub is on the list.

Cox said actions like the bans -- a status known as "off limits" -- do 
hinder drug use, but the investigation's findings do not mean more clubs 
will be banned. Bans are passed down by a Marine committee that meets monthly.

Calling this a proactive approach, Knapp said other investigations may be 
held in the future even though Operation Xterminator ran its course.

"We felt we made a major impact and it was time to pull up the carpet and 
shut down the operation," Knapp said.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager