HASIDIC JEWS USED IN DRUG COURIER SCHEME, FEDS SAY

New York - Federal agents said 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' appearance -- black hats, dark suits and side curls -- to deflect
suspicion at customs checkpoints, agents said.

The Jewish couriers, told they would be carrying diamonds, were 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 the shipments
consisted of 30,000 to 45,000 pills destined for sale in New York City and
Miami Beach.

Ecstasy, a synthetic drug, combines the effects of hallucinogens and
stimulants and typically is made in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In the past nine
months, more than 1 million pills were seized from smugglers at Kennedy
Airport in New York.