thedrifter
08-31-03, 07:29 AM
August 29, 2003
Authorities aim to curb club drug in Hawaii
Associated Press
HONOLULU — A new club drug gaining popularity on the mainland has reached the islands, and authorities are hoping to stop its spread before it becomes a big problem.
Federal authorities say the arrest this week of a Pearl Harbor sailor on suspicion of distributing AMT — alpha-methyltryptamine — is the first such arrest in the state.
The 24-year-old petty officer arrested Tuesday is being held in pretrial confinement at Pearl Harbor. He will be prosecuted through military courts, said Paul Ciccarelli, special agent in charge of Naval Criminal Investigative Service Hawaii.
Four other Navy personnel were interviewed as part of the investigation. Some were arrested Wednesday, said Navy spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Jane Campbell.
The drug is a hallucinogen available over the Internet and was labeled a Schedule I drug by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration under an emergency order in April.
AMT, which has been a problem in Europe since the 1990s, is considered a psychedelic drug like Ecstacy, said Briane M. Grey, assistant special agent in charge of the DEA’s Honolulu office.
It increases blood pressure and body temperature, makes a user feel nervous, irritable and restless and also may make him or her hallucinate and experience altered moods, Grey said. AMT’s symptoms may linger in a user’s system for up to two days.
The drug first caught the attention of federal drug agents in the 1990s and has been blamed for several deaths, he said.
On Oahu, military investigators were the first to notice the drug, Burnett said.
“Any soldier, sailor or Marine can pick up trend by going into a club or a party in other areas of the world and learning about upcoming drugs,” he said. “In this case, that is what happened with AMT.”
The sailor arrested Tuesday learned about AMT on the Internet, where it was being marketed as a “legal” alternative drug, and told Navy investigators that he didn’t realize it was illegal to buy or sell the drug, Burnett said.
The Navy, in prosecuting the case, wants to send a clear message to AMT dealers and users that it is an illegal, dangerous drug, Ciccarelli said.
“Now we’re seeing an increasing number of Hawaii’s teenagers, young adults and military populations using club drugs,” Ciccarelli said. “AMT is a new club drug and getting it off the streets is a quality of life issue for Hawaii’s military members.”
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Copyright 2003 The Associated Press
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Authorities aim to curb club drug in Hawaii
Associated Press
HONOLULU — A new club drug gaining popularity on the mainland has reached the islands, and authorities are hoping to stop its spread before it becomes a big problem.
Federal authorities say the arrest this week of a Pearl Harbor sailor on suspicion of distributing AMT — alpha-methyltryptamine — is the first such arrest in the state.
The 24-year-old petty officer arrested Tuesday is being held in pretrial confinement at Pearl Harbor. He will be prosecuted through military courts, said Paul Ciccarelli, special agent in charge of Naval Criminal Investigative Service Hawaii.
Four other Navy personnel were interviewed as part of the investigation. Some were arrested Wednesday, said Navy spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Jane Campbell.
The drug is a hallucinogen available over the Internet and was labeled a Schedule I drug by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration under an emergency order in April.
AMT, which has been a problem in Europe since the 1990s, is considered a psychedelic drug like Ecstacy, said Briane M. Grey, assistant special agent in charge of the DEA’s Honolulu office.
It increases blood pressure and body temperature, makes a user feel nervous, irritable and restless and also may make him or her hallucinate and experience altered moods, Grey said. AMT’s symptoms may linger in a user’s system for up to two days.
The drug first caught the attention of federal drug agents in the 1990s and has been blamed for several deaths, he said.
On Oahu, military investigators were the first to notice the drug, Burnett said.
“Any soldier, sailor or Marine can pick up trend by going into a club or a party in other areas of the world and learning about upcoming drugs,” he said. “In this case, that is what happened with AMT.”
The sailor arrested Tuesday learned about AMT on the Internet, where it was being marketed as a “legal” alternative drug, and told Navy investigators that he didn’t realize it was illegal to buy or sell the drug, Burnett said.
The Navy, in prosecuting the case, wants to send a clear message to AMT dealers and users that it is an illegal, dangerous drug, Ciccarelli said.
“Now we’re seeing an increasing number of Hawaii’s teenagers, young adults and military populations using club drugs,” Ciccarelli said. “AMT is a new club drug and getting it off the streets is a quality of life issue for Hawaii’s military members.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: