SEVEN INDICTED IN HASIDIC DRUG RING

NEW YORK (AP) -- Seven people have been indicted on charges of smuggling
the drug ecstasy in a scheme that relied on Hasidic drug couriers to avoid
detection, prosecutors said.

The indictments announced Tuesday grew out of an investigation begun last
year by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Customs Service and
local police into an organization based in Amsterdam and also operating in
Brooklyn and on Long Island.

The group counted on the conservative Jewish youths and their distinctive
religious garb to avoid attracting the attention of Customs inspectors,
prosecutors said.

The seven are accused of importing more than 1 million ecstasy pills from
the Netherlands into the United States. All were indicted on charges of
importing and distributing ecstasy, and five of the seven also were charged
with money laundering.

The Dutch National Police and the Dutch Ministry of Justice helped in the
investigation by providing U.S. authorities with wiretap evidence,
authorities said.

Ecstasy is a synthetic drug that produces the combined effects of a strong
amphetamine and a hallucinogen. The drug is extremely lucrative; according
to federal authorities, it is manufactured in Amsterdam at a cost of 50
cents to $2 a pill and retails for $25 to $30 a pill in New York City
nightclubs.

All but one of the men have been arrested. If convicted, they face a
maximum of 20 years in prison and $1 million in fines on each count.