Popular club drug finds way to Islands
By Allison Schaefers
Advertiser Staff Writer
Federal agents have made the first arrest in the state for distribution of Alpha-methyltryptamine, a party drug that that is gaining in popularity on the Mainland.
Agents arrested a 24-year-old Pearl Harbor Naval Base sailor Tuesday morning at his Honolulu apartment on suspicion that he distributed AMT, a drug that was recently added to the Drug Enforcement Administration's list of most dangerous illegal drugs.
The petty officer third class is being held in pretrial confinement on base. He will be prosecuted through military courts, said Paul Ciccarelli, special agent in charge of Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Hawai'i.
Agents from NCIS, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a partnership of federal, state and county law enforcement agencies, participated in the ongoing investigation which resulted in Tuesday's arrest, HIDTA director Larry Burnett said.
Four other U.S. Navy members were interviewed as a result of the investigation. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jane Campbell said some of them were arrested yesterday.
Hawai'i's law enforcement agencies are now bracing for the onslaught of AMT, which they fear could quickly spread throughout the Islands, Burnett said.
"This is a new drug on the island, and we are still collecting intelligence about this drug culture," Burnett said. "The goal that all of Hawai'i's law enforcement agencies share is to stop the distribution of AMT before it becomes a major problem."
AMT, which has been a problem in Europe since the 1990s, is considered a psychedelic and has more in common with LSD than Ecstacy, Briane M. Grey, assistant special agent in charge of the Honolulu DEA, said.
AMT users don't usually show symptoms until three to four hours after use, but the effects of the drug can linger in their system for up to two days. The drug increases blood pressure and body temperature and makes users feel nervous, irritable and restless. Users also hallucinate and experience altered moods, Grey said.
Hawai'i's law enforcement officials say it's difficult to halt the distribution of new synthetic drugs like AMT because U.S. laws can't keep pace with the underground market. Authorities could also face challenges in fighting the drug's primary marketplace, the Internet, they said.
With the help of laws created specifically to crack down on synthetic drugs, the DEA pushed emergency legislation through Congress in April to outlaw AMT. It was classified as a Schedule 1 drug, the category reserved for the most harmful drugs like Ecstacy that have no known medical use, said Special Agent Chris Tolley of the Honolulu DEA.
When a synthetic drug is scheduled by the DEA, criminal chemists try to find ways to circumvent the system by altering the drug's molecules to make new drugs that haven't been identified as illegal but have similar characteristics, Grey said.
AMT caught the attention of DEA in the 1990s, but more recently the drug has made appearances at raves and clubs throughout the nation. The drug has been documented by law enforcement officials in the District of Columbia as well as Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, Grey said.
It has been blamed for the February death of a Miami college student and others, he said.
On O'ahu, the drug first came to the attention of military investigators, who often have cutting edge intelligence because their personnel travel the world, 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."
Like Ecstacy, AMT is a drug most often preferred by students, young professionals and young military members, Burnett said.
"It's basically a young person's game," Burnett said. "They are out there looking for a little kick to heighten their awareness of the club scene, but this is a very dangerous drug."
In this case, the sailor arrested Tuesday found information about AMT on the Internet, where it was being marketed as a "legal" alternative drug, he said. His arrest was based on a tip from a confidential informant, authorities said.
Web sites for laboratories that manufacture AMT sell the drug for less than $150 a gram and advertise that people who are going to use the drug only for scientific purposes are allowed to buy, Grey said.
The sailor told Navy investigators that he didn't realize it was illegal to buy or sell AMT, Burnett said.
By prosecuting this case the Navy 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 Hawai'i'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 Hawai'i's military members."
Reach Allison Schaefers at aschaefers@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8110.
