Pubdate: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 Source: Virginian-Pilot (VA) Copyright: 2002, The Virginian-Pilot Contact: http://www.pilotonline.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/483 Author: Tim McGlone, The Virginian-Pilot Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy) AUTHORITIES LINK EX-SEAL TO ECSTASY DRUG RING NORFOLK -- A former Navy SEAL convicted of trying to make the drug Ecstasy in his oven has now been linked to a trio of suspected Ecstasy dealers arrested two weeks ago. At a federal court hearing Monday during which Daniel Heath Hansen pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute Ecstasy, prosecutors said they learned of Hansen through Gregory F. Fowler, the former SEAL caught trying to bake Ecstasy in his Chesapeake kitchen while his 2-year-old son stood nearby. Hansen, 27, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute Ecstasy. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison but likely will serve less time depending, in part, on how much he cooperates with authorities. A plea agreement filed in court states that Hansen has agreed to testify against co-defendants Tim Paul Douros, 38, the accused ringleader of the Ecstasy network, and Charles Atilla Bacs, 31, another suspect in the case. Hansen, Douros and Bacs were indicted two weeks ago after a lengthy investigation by federal agents into the club drug. Agents infiltrated several nightclubs where Douros sponsored raves, or dance parties, and allegedly sold Ecstasy. The indictment said Douros sold more than 10,000 Ecstasy tablets between January 2000 and February 2001, using Hansen and Bacs as distributors. Hansen said little during Monday's hearing, answering U.S. District Judge Henry C. Morgan's questions with "Yes, sir" and "No, sir." He had no family members present. His lawyer, Kim M. Crump, declined to comment afterward. Hansen remains in jail. The cases highlight the small but intricate ring of Ecstasy dealers in the region where the club drug has gained in popularity in recent years, according to federal drug enforcement agents. It was in the middle of the Fowler investigation that agents learned of Hansen, Douros and Bacs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Tayman told Morgan that Fowler introduced an undercover Navy investigator to Hansen on Oct. 12 for the purpose of obtaining Ecstasy. The same day, according to the indictment, Hansen sold 50 light-blue Ecstasy tabs for $900 to an undercover agent behind the Toys R Us store on Military Highway in Norfolk. Tayman said a number of Ecstasy sales followed through October and into November. Undercover agents and informants bought hundreds of pills from Hansen for $12 to $20 each, according to the indictment. The prices dropped as the number of pills purchased increased. Typically, buyers resell the pills for $25 to $35 each. Tayman and federal agents declined to provide any further details after the court hearing. Fowler was arrested in late October after federal agents raided his home in the 500 block of Foxgate Quarter in Chesapeake. They found what they described in court papers as an Ecstasy laboratory with the drug baking in the oven. Since his arrest, Fowler was kicked out of the Navy after testing positive for Ecstasy. He and his girlfriend, Sommer K. Washburn, have since pleaded guilty in federal court to drug conspiracy charges. Fowler will be sentenced Feb. 28 and Washburn on April 2. Reach Tim McGlone at or 446-2343. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl