POLICE:DRUG RING USING ORTHODOX JEWS BUSTED

Federal agents say they busted an international drug ring that used
conservatively dressed Hasidic Jews as couriers for Ecstasy pills.

Seven men were indicted this week in a scheme that relied on the Orthodox
Jews' demure look - black hats, dark suits and sidecurls -to deflect
suspicion at customs checkpoints, agents said.

The Jewish couriers were told they were carrying diamonds and promised a
free trip to Europe and about $1,500 if they agreed to retrieve packages in
Brussels, Belgium; Frankfurt, Germany, and other cities.

But authorities say the couriers ignored obvious signs that 30,000 to 45,000
pills destined for sale in New York City and Miami Beach.

One Hasidic defendant, Simcha Roth, 18, was arrested at his parents' home
Wednesday and charged with recruiting fellow Hasids as drug couriers in his
hometown of Monsey, N.Y., and Brooklyn. He was being held without bail after
pleading not guilty to drug conspiracy and distribution charges.