WEB DRUG DEALERS TARGETED

Inquiry: Sellers of 'Date Rape' Pill Are Focus of Nationwide Crackdown.

WASHINGTON -- In a clampdown on Internet drug dealers, federal, state and
local authorities said Wednesday they have made arrests and conducted
searches in dozens of U.S. cities where traffickers have used computers to
sell the "date rape" drug GHB.

Investigators conducted more than 150 searches and made a number of arrests
in a law enforcement sweep in more than 70 U.S. cities, marking the first
probe of its kind involving the Internet and GHB, a federal law enforcement
official said.

The official, who requested anonymity, said about 25 dealers were
considered primary targets in the investigation, which began two years ago.

The traffickers operated Web sites where customers could log on and put in
their orders for GHB and similar drugs, which would then be mailed to them.

Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft and Drug Enforcement Administration Director Asa
Hutchinson planned to detail the operation at a news conference today.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Customs Service and the FBI also
participated in the investigation.

GHB is a mix of common industrial chemicals that Congress outlawed several
years ago. The drug and its derivatives act as central nervous system
depressants and cause drowsiness, dizziness and loss of inhibition.

Education efforts have been aimed at warning women about sexual predators
who could spike their drinks with the drug.

The DEA has documented 72 deaths from GHB and its derivatives.