STING FINDS FLOOR-STRIPPING CHEMICAL IN DRUGS

Cleaner Arrested In Connection With Sales Of Date Rape Drug

A Markham cleaner and his girlfriend are facing drug charges after an
undercover purchase of 13.5 litres of a date rape drug by Peel police.

The buy produced some startling results: The drug was discovered to contain
the same chemical found in a cleaning solvent used to strip floors.

"This just shows how dangerous these drugs are," Peel morality Inspector
John Nielsen said. "You never know what's in them. People are using
everything and anything they can to make this stuff."

The accused man is a professional cleaner with no previous experience
producing chemicals.

"We're alleging this cleaner was using solvents as part of the mixing
process and used his job to purchase the material required, mixing his own
GHB and selling it," Nielsen said. "That stuff is poison."

Ketamine, another club drug normally used as an animal tranquilizer, was
also seized during the arrest.

Undercover officers purchased the gamma-hydroxybutrate, or GHB - commonly
known as the date rape drug - in April, paying about $24,000.

"This stuff is usually sold in 10-millilitre vials at raves and dance clubs
for about $15 a vial," Nielsen said, "so what we purchased could have been
turned into about 1,350 vials.

"It's important for the public to know that many of these individuals who
sell illicit drugs have no previous chemical background and are not
professional chemists.

"People are producing it, selling it and ingesting it, and it's dangerous."

Panagiotis (Peter) Sakatos, 28, of Markham, and Michelle Kissner, 25, of
Toronto, are charged with drug possession and drug trafficking. Both will
appear in a Brampton court July 6.