ECSTASY SALES ON THE RISE IN CONNECTICUT

Police are seeing a boom in Ecstasy sales throughout Connecticut,
prompting plans for crackdowns on the drug in the next several
months. In recent months, police have made a string of high-profile
Ecstasy arrests. In Groton and Glastonbury, police said they broke up
Ecstasy rings that employees were operating out of pizza parlors.

Though the cases were not connected, authorities say they show how
the drug has extended beyond the downtown clubs and into the suburbs.

Lt. Dale Hourigan, head of the Statewide Narcotics Task Force, said
anyone caught using or selling the drug risks a prison term of up to
15 years and a fine of up to $50,000.

Investigators at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton have become
increasingly concerned about sailors who go to clubs on weekends to
use Ecstasy, which sells for $20 to $30 a pill in Connecticut.

``The Navy has young sailors 18 to 20 years old who frequent local
clubs in Connecticut, including Hartford, and we realize they may be
exposed to illegal drugs like Ecstasy,'' said Chris Zendan, the
public affairs officer at the sub base. ``We are establishing a
presence at these clubs to make sure sailors realize we have zero
tolerance for illegal drug use.''

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, reacting to the growing use of
Ecstasy among young people, is trying to thwart illegal shipments of
Ecstasy into the state and is targeting local distributors.

The problem for parents and others who worry about Ecstasy use,
Hourigan said, is that the drug shows none of the obvious physical
signs of other illegal drugs. It's not considered physically
addictive, and there's no odor or slurred speech to detect.

Yet those using the drug are often distracted by sounds or colors and
often have trouble concentrating, experts say. Other signs of Ecstasy
use include increased heart rate, sweating and rapid eye movement,
according to the DEA.

The drug may be growing in popularity, experts say, because of the
affection and empathy it seems to cause among users. Police have
noticed the passive demeanor of the users.

``At least it's not like crack, where you had people fighting you all
the time when you tried to arrest them,'' said Lt. Mark Pawlina, head
of Hartford's major crimes division. ``It doesn't seem to make them
very violent from what we've seen.''

In New Haven, police are beginning to pay close attention to the drug.

First came the warnings from state officials and federal narcotics
officials about two years ago, said Sgt. Michael Canning, head of the
New Haven Police Department's narcotics force. The drug that was a
big hit on the New York club scene, the notices said, was expected to
follow the path of other drugs before it: Stamford, Bridgeport, New
Haven, Hartford.

Then came the crack bust last year when police found a young man with
Ecstasy on him. Then came an emergency call from a young clubgoer who
needed his stomach pumped after ingesting Ecstasy.

In October, federal agents arrested an Amsterdam native who, they
say, headed a drug operation sending shipments of thousands of grams
of Ecstasy to New Haven over a period of months.

``I can't even say it's up-and-coming, because it's here. It's
already here,'' said Canning, who fears Ecstasy has yet to reach its
full force in Connecticut.

The elusive nature of the drug makes it tough for police to sort out
who's using and who's not.

``You can't see them take it, you can't smell it. We have to look for
other clues,'' Canning said.