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