POLICE: FAKE ECSTASY TABLETS ENDANGERING LIVES IN MANSFIELD

MANSFIELD -- Local Ecstasy users could be taking their lives in
their hands because of fake samples.

"Not only are you not sure of what you're getting, but what dose,"
METRICH Commander Lt. Dino Sgambellone said. "It's like Russian
roulette to me."

More and more local samples have proven to be fake and have included
such ingredients as meth and caffeine. Other samples have had "two
new drugs we've never seen before," Mansfield police crime lab
Director Tony Tambasco said.

"Out of the last 10 samples, there's been only one that had
Ecstasy," he said. "They don't care what's in them. They're making
tablets (in clandestine labs) with whatever dope they can find."

Ecstasy is a small, brightly colored pill. The tablets are branded
with a number of pictures, including dolphins, apples and the Nike
swoosh, as well as such logos "CK" (Calvin Klein) and "MTV." Ecstasy
commonly is associated with raves, clubs and parties and often is
used by teenagers and young adults.

Users, who take it to keep dancing or for mood enhancement, report
intensely pleasurable effects such as enhanced self-confidence and energy.

Ecstasy increases the heart rate and blood pressure and can cause seizures.

Combined with the hot, crowded conditions of the clubs or parties,
Ecstasy can cause severe dehydration and overheating. In severe
cases, it can cause heart, kidney or liver failure.

"Ecstasy in and of itself is dangerous," Sgambellone said. "It's
kind of a combination between a stimulant and a psychedelic."

In the 10-county METRICH region, there has been a 188-percent
increase in Ecstasy removals this year from the same time span in
2007. Tambasco said Mansfield had a couple of cases from January to
March and two in April. There were five cases last week alone.

"It dried up after Sept. 11," Tambasco said, referring to tighter
border controls. "Now it's coming back."

Sgambellone said Ecstasy normally sells for $10 to $15 a pill. He
wants to reach potential users before they take it.

"For those kids who use Ecstasy on a regular basis, they're willing
to assume the risk," Sgambellone said. "Those who are considering
trying it, we just want them to realize that you're not going to get
what you think you're getting."