3 CONVICTED OF SMUGGLING ECSTASY

A federal jury in Los Angeles has convicted three men on charges of
smuggling potentially millions of doses of the designer drug Ecstasy
into the United States, authorities said Wednesday.

The guilty verdicts were returned late Monday, and relate to two drug
seizures in December 1999 that netted 700 pounds of Ecstasy and $1.6
million.

At the time, authorities said it was the largest seizure of the popular drug.

Those convicted were Louis Ziskin, 33, of Los Angeles; Alex Maimon,
30, of North Beach, Fla.; and Dewayne Sanker, 24, of Redlands,
according to the U.S. attorney's office.

A fourth defendant, Lance Edward White, 34, of Fontana, was acquitted
of drug distribution charges.

The jury heard evidence that Ziskin, Maimon and a third man would
obtain Ecstasy tablets during trips to Europe and then have them
shipped by overnight courier services to Southern California.
Evidence also showed the ring made as many as 50 shipments in 1999,
or about 5 million tablets.

U.S. District Judge Ronald S.W. Lew is scheduled to sentence the
three defendants July 9. Each faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Three other defendants pleaded guilty in the case earlier.