>Play with fire long enough and you gonna get burned!
>Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy............
>NOT!
>As the article indicates, this Strike clown was responsible for more than >a few busts. Damn narc deserves what he gets, I say.
Thanks for the link. Maybe there are narcs among us right here in adc
Ecstasy lab's link to cartel is probed Federal officials say suspects were trying to establish ties
By Marisa Taylor and Jeff McDonald UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS October 20, 2001
The group accused of setting up an Ecstasy lab in Escondido included convicted drug dealers who authorities say were trying to forge ties with a notorious drug cartel.
According to investigators, the lab was capable of producing up to 1.5 million tablets of Ecstasy a month. Last night, Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized at least $400,000 in cash believed to be connected to the ring. The money was in a storage unit in Carlsbad. They also seized books on manufacturing drugs.
The lab, which federal agents raided late Wednesday night, is the first to be uncovered in San Diego County and one of the most sophisticated discovered in the United States, DEA officials said. The lab was hidden in the same rented office as an Internet pornography business. The suspects rented the office in Patton Industrial Park under the name of Infobase Direct Marketing.
Yesterday, Dennis Alba of Oceanside, the suspected ringleader, and 11 others pleaded not guilty in San Diego federal court to conspiring to manufacture and distribute Ecstasy.
Eight others also have pleaded not guilty or have arranged to surrender to authorities.
If convicted, the suspects face up to 20 years in prison. If they have prior felony convictions, they could face up to 30 years.
Defense attorneys yesterday downplayed the raid and arrests. They said prosecutors often seek headlines before presenting proof of wrongdoing.
"I'm concerned about the media blitz in that people may prejudge the case," said San Diego attorney Michael Pancer, who entered not guilty pleas yesterday on behalf of brothers Jason Galanis, 31, of Los Angeles and Derek Galanis, 29, of Del Mar.
"Very often in a sweep like this the innocent get taken in with the guilty," he said.
According to federal documents unsealed yesterday, many of the defendants have extensive criminal records. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Robinson said some of the defendants met in Terminal Island federal prison in Los Angeles, although he would not reveal their names.
Alba, 52, was convicted twice in the 1980s of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance, according to the documents.
Donald Lee Walters, 71, of Tujunga is accused of financing the group. He was convicted in 1987 of conspiring to import and distribute marijuana in a case that named Rene Verdugo Urqumdez as the lead defendant. Verdugo Urqumdez was convicted in a separate case for taking part in the torture and murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena and is serving life in prison.
Walters' attorney, Sheldon Sherman, said his client's prior conviction had nothing to do with the Camarena case.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, the drug ring began testing the lab last spring with the intention of producing Ecstasy in bulk. Authorities believe they raided the lab before the drug hit the streets, although they say at least five people were contacted to work as distributors in San Diego and other cities. The drug, a mild hallucinogen, sells for $20 a tablet on the street.
Most Ecstasy is "cooked" in labs outside the United States, the DEA said. The agency estimates that about 80 percent of Ecstasy consumed worldwide is produced in Europe.
Federal investigators said that the group's members had international ties, and that they were trying to set up the Escondido lab to cut the costs of transporting the drug to the United States.
Investigators said they also had evidence that the group was negotiating with the Joaqumn Guzman Loera drug cartel to set up a lab in Mexico. Guzman, known as "El Chapo," escaped from a maximum security prison in Mexico last January.
A federal agent said in the criminal complaint that Alba set up a meeting to discuss the lab with members of Guzman's cartel after the kingpin had escaped.
Authorities said the group also turned to several companies, including one in the United States, for the chemicals needed to make the drug.
Thomas Lilius, 33, is accused of brokering many of the chemical deals. Lilius is a chemist believed to be based in Stockholm, Sweden. He had not been arrested as of yesterday, authorities said.
Hobart Huson, 33, who authorities say owns a chemical distributing company in Humble, Texas, is also accused of helping supply the group with chemicals. Huson wrote at least one how-to book on making methamphetamine, officials said. He is being held in Texas and is expected to be transferred to California.
No one answered the telephone yesterday at the offices of his company, Science Alliance, which conducts much of its business over the Internet. An e-mail also went unanswered.
Visitors to the company Web page may order any of scores of different products, including bulk chemicals that could be used to manufacture illegal drugs.
But the Web page hints at potential illegalities associated with its products. "Attention! Our records are open to inspection by law enforcement," it states. "Suspicious sales must be reported."
Houston attorney Gus Saper, who represents Huson, said his client regularly reports suspicious sales to the government. In recent years, Saper said, Huson has informed agents of 50 to 75 dubious orders.
Huson is a middleman for many of the transactions, Saper said, arranging for shipments from suppliers to customers.
"All (prosecutors) are saying is he sold some chemicals to (drug makers)," he said. "I don't even know if the chemicals that were sold in California were sold directly by my client."
Huson also is the author of "Total Synthesis II," a leading book on manufacturing methamphetamine, government officials allege in the criminal complaint.
According to Amazon.com, the step-by-step, 291-page recipe book was written by "Strike," an unidentified writer who also wrote another book on methamphetamine.
Saper said his client is Strike. An editorial review on the Amazon.com describes Strike only as an Ecstasy and methamphetamine chemist from Texas.
"Strike used to be very frustrated with the lack of common sense recipes and explanations for the production of these compounds," the Web page reads. "So Strike wrote it all down for others to enjoy."
>>Play with fire long enough and you gonna get burned! >>Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy............ >>NOT!
>>As the article indicates, this Strike clown was responsible for more than >>a few busts. Damn narc deserves what he gets, I say.
>Thanks for the link. Maybe there are narcs among us right here in adc
One should assume they are bright enough to do this, certainly.
>Ecstasy lab's link to cartel is probed >Federal officials say suspects were trying to establish ties >By Marisa Taylor and Jeff McDonald >UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS >October 20, 2001
I had to reformat this to see the parts about Strike, so here it is for others with a wrapless news client:
>... >Authorities said the group also turned to several companies, including one >in the United States, for the chemicals needed to make the drug.
>Thomas Lilius, 33, is accused of brokering many of the chemical deals. >Lilius is a chemist believed to be based in Stockholm, Sweden. He had >not been arrested as of yesterday, authorities said.
>Hobart Huson, 33, who authorities say owns a chemical distributing company >in Humble, Texas, is also accused of helping supply the group with chemicals. >Huson wrote at least one how-to book on making methamphetamine, officials >said. He is being held in Texas and is expected to be transferred to California.
>No one answered the telephone yesterday at the offices of his company, >Science Alliance, which conducts much of its business over the Internet. >An e-mail also went unanswered.
>Visitors to the company Web page may order any of scores of different products, >including bulk chemicals that could be used to manufacture illegal drugs.
>But the Web page hints at potential illegalities associated with its products. >"Attention! Our records are open to inspection by law enforcement," it states. >"Suspicious sales must be reported."
>Houston attorney Gus Saper, who represents Huson, said his client regularly >reports suspicious sales to the government. In recent years, Saper said, >Huson has informed agents of 50 to 75 dubious orders.
I have no information either way, but don't believe everything you read on the Internet or in the papers... Naturally a good attorney will try to show
his client was following the law.
>Huson is a middleman for many of the transactions, Saper said, arranging >for shipments from suppliers to customers.
>"All (prosecutors) are saying is he sold some chemicals to (drug makers)," >he said. "I don't even know if the chemicals that were sold in California >were sold directly by my client."
>Huson also is the author of "Total Synthesis II," a leading book on manufacturing >methamphetamine, government officials allege in the criminal complaint.
The books is obviously about making MDMA, though of course the synthetic chemistry of the various amphetamines has a lot of common elements...
>According to Amazon.com, the step-by-step, 291-page recipe book was >written by "Strike," an unidentified writer who also wrote another book on >methamphetamine.
He wrote the first edition Total Synthsis of course, and Sources, which they don't mention. I have not heard of any other books by him; anyone?
>Saper said his client is Strike. An editorial review on the Amazon.com describes >Strike only as an Ecstasy and methamphetamine chemist from Texas.
>"Strike used to be very frustrated with the lack of common sense recipes and >explanations for the production of these compounds," the Web page reads. >"So Strike wrote it all down for others to enjoy."
- Bob Wallace (just my opinion); reply to b...@promind.com Books on psychedelics, Mind Books: http://www.promind.com
New catalog released, also new announce-only list available.
> >Play with fire long enough and you gonna get burned!
> >Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy............
> >NOT!
> >As the article indicates, this Strike clown was responsible for more than > >a few busts. Damn narc deserves what he gets, I say.
> Thanks for the link. Maybe there are narcs among us right here in adc
> Ecstasy lab's link to cartel is probed > Federal officials say suspects were trying to establish ties
> By Marisa Taylor and Jeff McDonald > UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS > October 20, 2001
> The group accused of setting up an Ecstasy lab in Escondido included convicted drug dealers who authorities say were trying to forge ties with a notorious drug cartel.
> According to investigators, the lab was capable of producing up to 1.5 million tablets of Ecstasy a month. Last night, Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized at least $400,000 in cash believed to be connected to the ring. The money was in a storage unit in Carlsbad. They also seized books on manufacturing drugs.
> The lab, which federal agents raided late Wednesday night, is the first to be uncovered in San Diego County and one of the most sophisticated discovered in the United States, DEA officials said. The lab was hidden in the same rented office as an Internet pornography business. The suspects rented the office in Patton Industrial Park under the name of Infobase Direct Marketing.
> Yesterday, Dennis Alba of Oceanside, the suspected ringleader, and 11 others pleaded not guilty in San Diego federal court to conspiring to manufacture and distribute Ecstasy.
> Eight others also have pleaded not guilty or have arranged to surrender to authorities.
> If convicted, the suspects face up to 20 years in prison. If they have prior felony convictions, they could face up to 30 years.
> Defense attorneys yesterday downplayed the raid and arrests. They said prosecutors often seek headlines before presenting proof of wrongdoing.
> "I'm concerned about the media blitz in that people may prejudge the case," said San Diego attorney Michael Pancer, who entered not guilty pleas yesterday on behalf of brothers Jason Galanis, 31, of Los Angeles and Derek Galanis, 29, of Del Mar.
> "Very often in a sweep like this the innocent get taken in with the guilty," he said.
> According to federal documents unsealed yesterday, many of the defendants have extensive criminal records. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Robinson said some of the defendants met in Terminal Island federal prison in Los Angeles, although he would not reveal their names.
> Alba, 52, was convicted twice in the 1980s of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance, according to the documents.
> Donald Lee Walters, 71, of Tujunga is accused of financing the group. He was convicted in 1987 of conspiring to import and distribute marijuana in a case that named Rene Verdugo Urqumdez as the lead defendant. Verdugo Urqumdez was convicted in a separate case for taking part in the torture and murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena and is serving life in prison.
> Walters' attorney, Sheldon Sherman, said his client's prior conviction had nothing to do with the Camarena case.
> According to a criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, the drug ring
began testing the lab last spring with the intention of producing Ecstasy in bulk. Authorities believe they raided the lab before the drug hit the streets, although they say at least five people were contacted to work as distributors in San Diego and other cities. The drug, a mild hallucinogen, sells for $20 a tablet on the street.
> Most Ecstasy is "cooked" in labs outside the United States, the DEA said. The agency estimates that about 80 percent of Ecstasy consumed worldwide is produced in Europe.
> Federal investigators said that the group's members had international ties, and that they were trying to set up the Escondido lab to cut the costs of transporting the drug to the United States.
> Investigators said they also had evidence that the group was negotiating with the Joaqumn Guzman Loera drug cartel to set up a lab in Mexico. Guzman, known as "El Chapo," escaped from a maximum security prison in Mexico last January.
> A federal agent said in the criminal complaint that Alba set up a meeting to discuss the lab with members of Guzman's cartel after the kingpin had escaped.
> Authorities said the group also turned to several companies, including one in the United States, for the chemicals needed to make the drug.
> Thomas Lilius, 33, is accused of brokering many of the chemical deals. Lilius is a chemist believed to be based in Stockholm, Sweden. He had not been arrested as of yesterday, authorities said.
> Hobart Huson, 33, who authorities say owns a chemical distributing company in Humble, Texas, is also accused of helping supply the group with chemicals. Huson wrote at least one how-to book on making methamphetamine, officials said. He is being held in Texas and is expected to be transferred to California.
> No one answered the telephone yesterday at the offices of his company, Science Alliance, which conducts much of its business over the Internet. An e-mail also went unanswered.
> Visitors to the company Web page may order any of scores of different products, including bulk chemicals that could be used to manufacture illegal drugs.
> But the Web page hints at potential illegalities associated with its products. "Attention! Our records are open to inspection by law enforcement," it states. "Suspicious sales must be reported."
> Houston attorney Gus Saper, who represents Huson, said his client regularly reports suspicious sales to the government. In recent years, Saper said, Huson has informed agents of 50 to 75 dubious orders.
> Huson is a middleman for many of the transactions, Saper said, arranging for shipments from suppliers to customers.
> "All (prosecutors) are saying is he sold some chemicals to (drug makers)," he said. "I don't even know if the chemicals that were sold in California were sold directly by my client."
> Huson also is the author of "Total Synthesis II," a leading book on manufacturing methamphetamine, government officials allege in the criminal complaint.
> According to Amazon.com, the step-by-step, 291-page recipe book was written by "Strike," an unidentified writer who also wrote another book on methamphetamine.
> Saper said his client is Strike. An editorial review on the Amazon.com describes Strike only as an Ecstasy and methamphetamine chemist from Texas.
> "Strike used to be very frustrated with the lack of common sense recipes and explanations for the production of these compounds," the Web page reads. "So Strike wrote it all down for others to enjoy."
There was also a blerb about this on the dancesafe web-site. I wonder though if it 2c-b instead of ecstacy because prior to the arrest SA sold 2,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde in one kilo lots, after the arrest it was takin off the catalog. A few kilos of 2c-b could make well over a million doses, the news-media would have a hard time knowing the difference between the two.
I knew strike from about 4 years ago off the net and I never liked him at all .. I always thought he was a rat then now I guess I find I was right.........
> >Play with fire long enough and you gonna get burned!
> >Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy............
> >NOT!
> >As the article indicates, this Strike clown was responsible for more than > >a few busts. Damn narc deserves what he gets, I say.
> Thanks for the link. Maybe there are narcs among us right here in adc
> Ecstasy lab's link to cartel is probed > Federal officials say suspects were trying to establish ties
> By Marisa Taylor and Jeff McDonald > UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS > October 20, 2001
> The group accused of setting up an Ecstasy lab in Escondido included
convicted drug dealers who authorities say were trying to forge ties with a notorious drug cartel.
> According to investigators, the lab was capable of producing up to 1.5
million tablets of Ecstasy a month. Last night, Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized at least $400,000 in cash believed to be connected to the ring. The money was in a storage unit in Carlsbad. They also seized books on manufacturing drugs.
> The lab, which federal agents raided late Wednesday night, is the first to
be uncovered in San Diego County and one of the most sophisticated discovered in the United States, DEA officials said. The lab was hidden in the same rented office as an Internet pornography business. The suspects rented the office in Patton Industrial Park under the name of Infobase Direct Marketing.
> Yesterday, Dennis Alba of Oceanside, the suspected ringleader, and 11
others pleaded not guilty in San Diego federal court to conspiring to manufacture and distribute Ecstasy.
> Eight others also have pleaded not guilty or have arranged to surrender to authorities.
> If convicted, the suspects face up to 20 years in prison. If they have
prior felony convictions, they could face up to 30 years.
> Defense attorneys yesterday downplayed the raid and arrests. They said
prosecutors often seek headlines before presenting proof of wrongdoing.
> "I'm concerned about the media blitz in that people may prejudge the
case," said San Diego attorney Michael Pancer, who entered not guilty pleas yesterday on behalf of brothers Jason Galanis, 31, of Los Angeles and Derek Galanis, 29, of Del Mar.
> "Very often in a sweep like this the innocent get taken in with the guilty," he said.
> According to federal documents unsealed yesterday, many of the defendants
have extensive criminal records. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Robinson said some of the defendants met in Terminal Island federal prison in Los Angeles, although he would not reveal their names.
> Alba, 52, was convicted twice in the 1980s of conspiring to distribute a
controlled substance, according to the documents.
> Donald Lee Walters, 71, of Tujunga is accused of financing the group. He
was convicted in 1987 of conspiring to import and distribute marijuana in a case that named Rene Verdugo Urqumdez as the lead defendant. Verdugo Urqumdez was convicted in a separate case for taking part in the torture and murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena and is serving life in prison.
> Walters' attorney, Sheldon Sherman, said his client's prior conviction had
nothing to do with the Camarena case.
> According to a criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, the drug ring began
testing the lab last spring with the intention of producing Ecstasy in bulk. Authorities believe they raided the lab before the drug hit the streets, although they say at least five people were contacted to work as distributors in San Diego and other cities. The drug, a mild hallucinogen, sells for $20 a tablet on the street.
> Most Ecstasy is "cooked" in labs outside the United States, the DEA said.
The agency estimates that about 80 percent of Ecstasy consumed worldwide is produced in Europe.
> Federal investigators said that the group's members had international
ties, and that they were trying to set up the Escondido lab to cut the costs of transporting the drug to the United States.
> Investigators said they also had evidence that the group was negotiating
with the Joaqumn Guzman Loera drug cartel to set up a lab in Mexico. Guzman, known as "El Chapo," escaped from a maximum security prison in Mexico last January.
> A federal agent said in the criminal complaint that Alba set up a meeting
to discuss the lab with members of Guzman's cartel after the kingpin had escaped.
> Authorities said the group also turned to several companies, including one
in the United States, for the chemicals needed to make the drug.
> Thomas Lilius, 33, is accused of brokering many of the chemical deals.
Lilius is a chemist believed to be based in Stockholm, Sweden. He had not been arrested as of yesterday, authorities said.
> Hobart Huson, 33, who authorities say owns a chemical distributing company
in Humble, Texas, is also accused of helping supply the group with chemicals. Huson wrote at least one how-to book on making methamphetamine, officials said. He is being held in Texas and is expected to be transferred to California.
> No one answered the telephone yesterday at the offices of his company,
Science Alliance, which conducts much of its business over the Internet. An e-mail also went unanswered.
> Visitors to the company Web page may order any of scores of different
products, including bulk chemicals that could be used to manufacture illegal drugs.
> But the Web page hints at potential illegalities associated with its
products. "Attention! Our records are open to inspection by law enforcement," it states. "Suspicious sales must be reported."
> Houston attorney Gus Saper, who represents Huson, said his client
regularly reports suspicious sales to the government. In recent years, Saper said, Huson has informed agents of 50 to 75 dubious orders.
> Huson is a middleman for many of the transactions, Saper said, arranging
for shipments from suppliers to customers.
> "All (prosecutors) are saying is he sold some chemicals to (drug makers),"
he said. "I don't even know if the chemicals that were sold in California were sold directly by my client."
> Huson also is the author of "Total Synthesis II," a leading book on
manufacturing methamphetamine, government officials allege in the criminal complaint.
> According to Amazon.com, the step-by-step, 291-page recipe book was
written by "Strike," an unidentified writer who also wrote another book on methamphetamine.
> Saper said his client is Strike. An editorial review on the Amazon.com
describes Strike only as an Ecstasy and methamphetamine chemist from Texas.
> "Strike used to be very frustrated with the lack of common sense recipes
and explanations for the production of these compounds," the Web page reads. "So Strike wrote it all down for others to enjoy."
sorry this is a little bit off topic... First, Donny, did you email lycaeum and erowid and have them update the links to your new page? I tried one of them the other day, and it brought me to the old watcher website.
To Bob: do you think this will effect sales at promind books? Even though the best literature came from CA, I'm sure that some of the less professional titles move also, but is this going to hurt sales (now that the author is seen in bad light)?
>To Bob: do you think this will effect sales at promind books? Even >though the best literature came from CA, I'm sure that some of the >less professional titles move also, but is this going to hurt sales >(now that the author is seen in bad light)?
Oh, I doubt the people that get Strike's book are going to care much. And it's only 2 titles out of about 350 that we carry.
When the Hatch-Feinstein bill was threatening to try to block sales of drug manufacturing books last year, we did stock up on Strike's books and similar titles, just in case the publishers decided to stop selling them.
- Bob Wallace (just my opinion); reply to b...@promind.com Books on psychedelics, Mind Books: http://www.promind.com
New catalog released, also new announce-only list available.
> Thomas Lilius, 33, is accused of brokering many of the chemical deals. Lilius is a chemist believed to be based in Stockholm, Sweden. He had not been arrested as of yesterday, authorities said.
> Play with fire long enough and you gonna get burned!
> Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy............
> NOT!
> As the article indicates, this Strike clown was responsible for more than > a few busts. Damn narc deserves what he gets, I say.
Hmm that link wouldn't open for me. I just saw Datelines story about Strike on TV. They mentioned that he had been in prison for making X. The thought occured to me that he may have had to make a deal with the devil to get out of spending a lifetime rotting in prison. Not uncommon for the pig swine to to stop pressing their little pig hoofs up your ass if you turn rat for them. What better cover for such a thing than to be a chemical supplier and collect names and such. Also another common pig trick is to bust the rat along with the ratted, so that the ratted aren't too suspicious of the rat. The whole damn mess stinks of pig stench all the way around if you ask me. Land of the free !!! What a joke. =^^=DM
> >Play with fire long enough and you gonna get burned!
> >Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy............
> >NOT!
> >As the article indicates, this Strike clown was responsible for more than > >a few busts. Damn narc deserves what he gets, I say.
> Thanks for the link. Maybe there are narcs among us right here in adc
> Ecstasy lab's link to cartel is probed > Federal officials say suspects were trying to establish ties
> By Marisa Taylor and Jeff McDonald > UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS > October 20, 2001
> The group accused of setting up an Ecstasy lab in Escondido included convicted drug dealers who authorities say were trying to forge ties with a notorious drug cartel.
> According to investigators, the lab was capable of producing up to 1.5 million tablets of Ecstasy a month. Last night, Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized at least $400,000 in cash believed to be connected to the ring. The money was in a storage unit in Carlsbad. They also seized books on manufacturing drugs.
> The lab, which federal agents raided late Wednesday night, is the first to be uncovered in San Diego County and one of the most sophisticated discovered in the United States, DEA officials said. The lab was hidden in the same rented office as an Internet pornography business. The suspects rented the office in Patton Industrial Park under the name of Infobase Direct Marketing.
> Yesterday, Dennis Alba of Oceanside, the suspected ringleader, and 11 others pleaded not guilty in San Diego federal court to conspiring to manufacture and distribute Ecstasy.
> Eight others also have pleaded not guilty or have arranged to surrender to authorities.
> If convicted, the suspects face up to 20 years in prison. If they have prior felony convictions, they could face up to 30 years.
> Defense attorneys yesterday downplayed the raid and arrests. They said prosecutors often seek headlines before presenting proof of wrongdoing.
> "I'm concerned about the media blitz in that people may prejudge the case," said San Diego attorney Michael Pancer, who entered not guilty pleas yesterday on behalf of brothers Jason Galanis, 31, of Los Angeles and Derek Galanis, 29, of Del Mar.
> "Very often in a sweep like this the innocent get taken in with the guilty," he said.
> According to federal documents unsealed yesterday, many of the defendants have extensive criminal records. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Robinson said some of the defendants met in Terminal Island federal prison in Los Angeles, although he would not reveal their names.
> Alba, 52, was convicted twice in the 1980s of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance, according to the documents.
> Donald Lee Walters, 71, of Tujunga is accused of financing the group. He was convicted in 1987 of conspiring to import and distribute marijuana in a case that named Rene Verdugo Urqumdez as the lead defendant. Verdugo Urqumdez was convicted in a separate case for taking part in the torture and murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena and is serving life in prison.
> Walters' attorney, Sheldon Sherman, said his client's prior conviction had nothing to do with the Camarena case.
> According to a criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, the drug ring
began testing the lab last spring with the intention of producing Ecstasy in bulk. Authorities believe they raided the lab before the drug hit the streets, although they say at least five people were contacted to work as distributors in San Diego and other cities. The drug, a mild hallucinogen, sells for $20 a tablet on the street.
> Most Ecstasy is "cooked" in labs outside the United States, the DEA said. The agency estimates that about 80 percent of Ecstasy consumed worldwide is produced in Europe.
> Federal investigators said that the group's members had international ties, and that they were trying to set up the Escondido lab to cut the costs of transporting the drug to the United States.
> Investigators said they also had evidence that the group was negotiating with the Joaqumn Guzman Loera drug cartel to set up a lab in Mexico. Guzman, known as "El Chapo," escaped from a maximum security prison in Mexico last January.
> A federal agent said in the criminal complaint that Alba set up a meeting to discuss the lab with members of Guzman's cartel after the kingpin had escaped.
> Authorities said the group also turned to several companies, including one in the United States, for the chemicals needed to make the drug.
> Thomas Lilius, 33, is accused of brokering many of the chemical deals. Lilius is a chemist believed to be based in Stockholm, Sweden. He had not been arrested as of yesterday, authorities said.
> Hobart Huson, 33, who authorities say owns a chemical distributing company in Humble, Texas, is also accused of helping supply the group with chemicals. Huson wrote at least one how-to book on making methamphetamine, officials said. He is being held in Texas and is expected to be transferred to California.
> No one answered the telephone yesterday at the offices of his company, Science Alliance, which conducts much of its business over the Internet. An e-mail also went unanswered.
> Visitors to the company Web page may order any of scores of different products, including bulk chemicals that could be used to manufacture illegal drugs.
> But the Web page hints at potential illegalities associated with its products. "Attention! Our records are open to inspection by law enforcement," it states. "Suspicious sales must be reported."
> Houston attorney Gus Saper, who represents Huson, said his client regularly reports suspicious sales to the government. In recent years, Saper said, Huson has informed agents of 50 to 75 dubious orders.
> Huson is a middleman for many of the transactions, Saper said, arranging for shipments from suppliers to customers.
> "All (prosecutors) are saying is he sold some chemicals to (drug makers)," he said. "I don't even know if the chemicals that were sold in California were sold directly by my client."
> Huson also is the author of "Total Synthesis II," a leading book on manufacturing methamphetamine, government officials allege in the criminal complaint.
> According to Amazon.com, the step-by-step, 291-page recipe book was written by "Strike," an unidentified writer who also wrote another book on methamphetamine.
> Saper said his client is Strike. An editorial review on the Amazon.com describes Strike only as an Ecstasy and methamphetamine chemist from Texas.
> "Strike used to be very frustrated with the lack of common sense recipes and explanations for the production of these compounds," the Web page reads. "So Strike wrote it all down for others to enjoy."
Only if you ordered anything conspicuous.. I've ordered from them before as well, but if you only order things like solvents, bases, acids, etc.. The generic stuff.. I doubt you have anything to worry about. If you ordered a precursor to 2c-b - a benzaldehyde perhaps.. Maybe it wouldn't be overkill to empty your house of anything chemistry related. I mean is the risk worth it? Toss that shit or at least store it at a friend's house that you can trust.
-- Shift
"Telemachus" <telemac...@altavista.com> wrote in message
> > >Play with fire long enough and you gonna get burned!
> > >Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy............
> > >NOT!
> > >As the article indicates, this Strike clown was responsible for more than > > >a few busts. Damn narc deserves what he gets, I say.
> > Thanks for the link. Maybe there are narcs among us right here in adc
> > Ecstasy lab's link to cartel is probed > > Federal officials say suspects were trying to establish ties
> > By Marisa Taylor and Jeff McDonald > > UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS > > October 20, 2001
> > The group accused of setting up an Ecstasy lab in Escondido included
convicted drug dealers who authorities say were trying to forge ties with a notorious drug cartel.
> > According to investigators, the lab was capable of producing up to 1.5
million tablets of Ecstasy a month. Last night, Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized at least $400,000 in cash believed to be connected to the ring. The money was in a storage unit in Carlsbad. They also seized books on manufacturing drugs.
> > The lab, which federal agents raided late Wednesday night, is the first
to be uncovered in San Diego County and one of the most sophisticated discovered in the United States, DEA officials said. The lab was hidden in the same rented office as an Internet pornography business. The suspects rented the office in Patton Industrial Park under the name of Infobase Direct Marketing.
> > Yesterday, Dennis Alba of Oceanside, the suspected ringleader, and 11
others pleaded not guilty in San Diego federal court to conspiring to manufacture and distribute Ecstasy.
> > Eight others also have pleaded not guilty or have arranged to surrender to authorities.
> > If convicted, the suspects face up to 20 years in prison. If they have
prior felony convictions, they could face up to 30 years.
> > Defense attorneys yesterday downplayed the raid and arrests. They said
prosecutors often seek headlines before presenting proof of wrongdoing.
> > "I'm concerned about the media blitz in that people may prejudge the
case," said San Diego attorney Michael Pancer, who entered not guilty pleas yesterday on behalf of brothers Jason Galanis, 31, of Los Angeles and Derek Galanis, 29, of Del Mar.
> > "Very often in a sweep like this the innocent get taken in with the guilty," he said.
> > According to federal documents unsealed yesterday, many of the
defendants have extensive criminal records. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Robinson said some of the defendants met in Terminal Island federal prison in Los Angeles, although he would not reveal their names.
> > Alba, 52, was convicted twice in the 1980s of conspiring to distribute a
controlled substance, according to the documents.
> > Donald Lee Walters, 71, of Tujunga is accused of financing the group. He
was convicted in 1987 of conspiring to import and distribute marijuana in a case that named Rene Verdugo Urqumdez as the lead defendant. Verdugo Urqumdez was convicted in a separate case for taking part in the torture and murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena and is serving life in prison.
> > Walters' attorney, Sheldon Sherman, said his client's prior conviction
had nothing to do with the Camarena case.
> > According to a criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, the drug ring > began testing the lab last spring with the intention of producing > Ecstasy in bulk. Authorities believe they raided the lab before the > drug hit the streets, although they say at least five people were > contacted to work as distributors in San Diego and other cities. The > drug, a mild hallucinogen, sells for $20 a tablet on the street.
> > Most Ecstasy is "cooked" in labs outside the United States, the DEA
said. The agency estimates that about 80 percent of Ecstasy consumed worldwide is produced in Europe.
> > Federal investigators said that the group's members had international
ties, and that they were trying to set up the Escondido lab to cut the costs of transporting the drug to the United States.
> > Investigators said they also had evidence that the group was negotiating
with the Joaqumn Guzman Loera drug cartel to set up a lab in Mexico. Guzman, known as "El Chapo," escaped from a maximum security prison in Mexico last January.
> > A federal agent said in the criminal complaint that Alba set up a
meeting to discuss the lab with members of Guzman's cartel after the kingpin had escaped.
> > Authorities said the group also turned to several companies, including
one in the United States, for the chemicals needed to make the drug.
> > Thomas Lilius, 33, is accused of brokering many of the chemical deals.
Lilius is a chemist believed to be based in Stockholm, Sweden. He had not been arrested as of yesterday, authorities said.
> > Hobart Huson, 33, who authorities say owns a chemical distributing
company in Humble, Texas, is also accused of helping supply the group with chemicals. Huson wrote at least one how-to book on making methamphetamine, officials said. He is being held in Texas and is expected to be transferred to California.
> > No one answered the telephone yesterday at the offices of his company,
Science Alliance, which conducts much of its business over the Internet. An e-mail also went unanswered.
> > Visitors to the company Web page may order any of scores of different
products, including bulk chemicals that could be used to manufacture illegal drugs.
> > But the Web page hints at potential illegalities associated with its
products. "Attention! Our records are open to inspection by law enforcement," it states. "Suspicious sales must be reported."
> > Houston attorney Gus Saper, who represents Huson, said his client
regularly reports suspicious sales to the government. In recent years, Saper said, Huson has informed agents of 50 to 75 dubious orders.
> > Huson is a middleman for many of the transactions, Saper said, arranging
for shipments from suppliers to customers.
> > "All (prosecutors) are saying is he sold some chemicals to (drug
makers)," he said. "I don't even know if the chemicals that were sold in California were sold directly by my client."
> > Huson also is the author of "Total Synthesis II," a leading book on
manufacturing methamphetamine, government officials allege in the criminal complaint.
> > According to Amazon.com, the step-by-step, 291-page recipe book was
written by "Strike," an unidentified writer who also wrote another book on methamphetamine.
> > Saper said his client is Strike. An editorial review on the Amazon.com
describes Strike only as an Ecstasy and methamphetamine chemist from Texas.
> > "Strike used to be very frustrated with the lack of common sense recipes
and explanations for the production of these compounds," the Web page reads. "So Strike wrote it all down for others to enjoy."
