SIX INDICTED IN LINK TO ECSTACY DRUG RING

SACRAMENTO -- Four Northern California residents and two Belgian citizens
have been indicted on charges linked to a major international drug-ring bust.

Belgian citizens Danny Raskin, 41, and Steven Britton, 31, were indicted
Wednesday by a federal grand jury on charges they conspired to import and
distribute the party drug Ecstasy throughout Northern California.

Cian Sanchez, 31, and Leilani Sanchez, 24, of San Francisco; Jason Estrada,
23, of Oakland; and Dean Chu, 29, of Sacramento were indicted on
money-laundering charges connected with the drug ring.

''This is obviously the largest such bust that we've seen in California and
one of the few where we've worked on a multinational setting to identify
and get the people at the very top of a drug chain,'' said Bob Dey, chief
agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration office that covers most of
Northern and Central California.

Ecstasy, also known as XTC, Clarity and Lover's Speed is rising in
popularity among teen-agers and young adults, according to national studies.

The sting involved an investigation into the sales of the drug at a
Sacramento shopping-mall bathroom, and a bust of a Belgian drug kingpin at
a posh Lake Tahoe hotel, authorities said.

Agents seized more than $2 million in cash, grabbed several vehicles and
arrested a total of 18 people. Half a million tablets of the drug were
collected during the investigation, according to reports.

In Stockton, local law enforcement officials said the drug is rarely seen.

The drug is usually associated with dance clubs and raves, which are few in
Stockton.

Doug Anderson, Stockton Police Department spokesman, said some people have
reported feeling sensations similar to the drug and thinking it may have
been slipped into a drink at a bar. But whether it was that particular drug
is unknown.

Steve Van Meter, spokesman for the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office,
said that while it is not common, officials have found it when stopping and
searching vehicles, and are seeing it more often, "especially among the
younger crowd.