Pubdate: Wed, 05 Dec 2001 Source: Mississauga News (CN ON) Copyright: The Mississauga News 2001 Contact: http://www.mississauganews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/268 Author: Louie Rosella, The Mississauga News Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy) COPS BUST-UP ECSTASY RING Four Mississaugans Face Charges In U.S. Four Mississauga men believed to be big players and middle men in an ecstasy-selling ring will face charges in the U.S. after more than $700,000 worth of ecstasy was seized in an investigation that concluded violently in a Toronto hotel room. The Peel Regional Police Morality Bureau arrested two Montreal men Sunday at the Hilton on Richmond St. when they tried to sell 10,000 ecstasy pills to an undercover officer. During the arrest, police said one of the men tried to reach for his .45-calibre handgun. "If these guys were ready to use a gun on police officers, could you imagine what they would do to just a regular Joe?" said Inspector John Nielsen of the Morality Bureau. "They're carrying firearms to protect their investment." Nielsen added the gun was loaded with bullets strong enough to penetrate through an officer's bullet-proof vest. Further investigation led police to a Mississauga residence, where they arrested another man in his parents' home. Police believe through the six-month investigation into the trafficking of ecstasy from Canada to the U.S., which also involved officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Miami, that ecstasy was either produced or imported in Quebec, sold to buyers in Mississauga, and then exported to Florida and sold in the American market. Baljinderpal Thind, 33, of Wilcox Rd., is awaiting extradition to the U.S. for charges of conspiracy to import and traffic ecstasy. Meanwhile, Donavon Brown, 30, of Duford Dr., Andre Iskander, 26, of Owl Cir., and Christopher Martin, 25, of Corfu Rd., are already in custody in Florida facing trafficking charges. "We've taken off a major exporting ring," Nielsen said. "There were several big players and middle men involved that were key to keeping this operation going." In total, 33,000 tabs of ecstasy were seized with a street value of $720,000. "It's a profit-driven business that is getting violent," Nielsen said. "These sellers are ready to inflict harm on anyone who gets in their way because they stand to lose so much money." But, importing ecstasy into the U.S. from Canada is nothing new to U.S. police. "We are seeing more and more of this here -- drugs being sold that originate from Canada," said Special Agent Kerry Evans of the DEA in Miami. "The better dollar here is a huge factor." Known as a designer drug, ecstasy produces a strong sense of pleasure and feelings of euphoria, but it can interfere with the body's ability to regulate temperature and can sometimes result in death. The drug is suspected in the death of Nicole Malik, 17, who collapsed Saturday morning while visiting Toronto. Its popularity has grown immensely in the last few years, namely among youths who attend raves. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl