OFFICERS DISCOVER PILLS WERE NOT ROHYPNOL

Police Admit Concerns Over Valium-Like Drug, Which Is More Accessible And
Just As Dangerous

The 1,700 pills taken from a Kingsville home in a raid Tuesday weren't the
date rape drug Rohypnol, police discovered Thursday.

The pills are Rivotrial, according to officials with the Department of
Public Safety.

Rivotrial, also known as Klonopin, is a Valium-like drug that is prescribed
by doctors for various uses. Rohypnol has no medical use in the United
States and is illegal.

Kingsville police are worried that the Rivotrial is being passed off as
Rohypnol.

"They are selling (Rivotrial) to other kids as Rohypnol," said Cmdr. Jaime
Garza of the South Texas Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force in
Kingsville.

"Now it's even more dangerous than Rohypnol because it's a lot more easily
accessible to kids."

But Rivotrial is just as dangerous as Rohypnol, if not more so.

"When it's introduced to the body, you can lose memory," said Hector
Cadena, a forensic chemist for the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Cadena said Rivotrial is sometimes given to patients about to undergo
surgery, so that if for some reason the anesthetic wears off, the patient
will not remember the pain.

Garza said police misidentified the drug after conducting a preliminary
test that indicated the pills contained a chemical found in Rohypnol.

Witness statements indicated that the pills were being sold as Rohypnol, he
said.

George Eric Adame, 19, was arrested on Tuesday after police found the
pills, about $600 cash and less than two ounces of marijuana at his home.
He remains in the Kleberg County Jail without a bond.

Garza said that although he doesn't want to alarm parents, he wants them to
understand that this drug can become a problem not just in Kingsville but
in all surrounding counties.

"We don't want to cause a panic, we want to cause a safety alert," Garza said.

"I've gotten calls (Thursday) from parents saying that they've seen the
little packets thrown on the streets."

Garza said that the task force and the Kingsville Police Department will
continue to look for several hundred pills that they think are still missing.

"We still need help from the public," he said.

Garza said anyone with a tip about the missing pills can call him at (800)
813-3694.