NYPD RAID NETS 40M IN ECSTASY

Narcotic cops raiding a swank lower Manhattan apartment found $40 million
worth of Ecstasy - believed to the largest seizure of the drug ever in the
city, authorities said yesterday.

During the Tuesday night raid, cops netted 1 million pills - and arrested
David Roash, 25, and Israel Ashkenazi, 27, two Israeli nationals who
recently rented an apartment overlooking Battery Park, Police Commissioner
Bernard Kerik said.

Roash and Ashkenazi, both of Tel Aviv, were described as the kingpins of a
distribution ring that supplied Ecstasy to sellers around the metropolitan
area.

Their brand was allegedly sold under names such as Mercedes, Mitsubishi and
Superman, and was produced in Europe, possibly Amsterdam, a law enforcement
source said.

"They acted as distributors providing large shipments of the drug," Kerik said.

Their arrests are "going to have a pretty heavy impact on the trade."

Kerik and others declined to say what tipped off investigators from the
Queens narcotics major case unit to the West St. apartment, citing an
"ongoing investigation."

Cops found the drug stored in eight duffel bags and a suitcase, and
recovered $187,000 in cash, authorities said.

Mayor Giuliani called it "the largest seizure [of Ecstasy] in the
metropolitan area" and spoke of the drug's widespread use at New York
nightclubs.

Giuliani moved to padlock the dance club Twilo after it was disclosed the
nightspot had hired private ambulances to be on call to take clubgoers who
overdosed to emergency rooms.

"When you look at these pills," he said, "they look harmless. They are pink
and light blue and white, but these are very dangerous substances that can
in fact be fatal under some circumstances and do tremendous damage to young
people."

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said the suspects are being charged
with "various counts" of criminal possession of a controlled substance and,
if convicted, face between eight years and life in prison.

"A major distribution network has been put out of business and a very
dangerous drug has been removed from circulation and out of the hands of
young people," he said.