ECSTASY DRUG SEIZED

Raid uncovers $80Gs of homemade dope

MARKHAM -- Police here made the largest seizure in Ontario of a Popular
homemade and potentially fatal party drug called Liquid Ecstasy.

York Regional Police seized about four litres of concentrated gamma-hydroxy
butyrate, known as GHB or Liquid Ecstasy, when they raided a posh Library
Lane house Thursday night following a month-long probe.

The drug would be cut at least three times with water before being sold in
vials for about $20.

Two men were arrested as they arrived at the house at 5 p.m. as police
prepared to execute the search warrant for the $80,000 worth of drugs.

People get a high when the drug is mixed with alcohol, but the range of
dosage is narrow. A proper dose will give a user a high equal to six
drinks, but slightly more will cause the user to go into a deep coma-like
sleep for up to six hours. Slightly more can cause cardiac arrest or
respiratory failure, especially if mixed with other drugs.

The drug, warns York Det.-Sgt. Bruce Powley, is also used as a date rape
drug when slipped surreptitiously into drinks and knocking out the intended
victim.

Police also found European-made Ecstasy pills and capsules, and opium, as
well as equipment to mix the chemicals to make GHB.

The seizure occurred the same night a rave party group handed out leaflets
at a community meeting at North York City Hall outlining how to use the drug.

The pamphlet was distributed by the Toronto Rave Info Project, associated
with the Queen West HIV-AIDS Project on Bathurst St., and warned there is a
narrow dosage range that varies as each batch is homemade.

Plainclothes Const. Keith Merith said the drug was being sold in Markham
and Toronto's entertainment district. He said police suspected a man was
involved "in high-end sales and distribution of Ecstasy.

"Our understanding is that he did have runners with him, that were working
directly for him," Merith said.

Morality Const. Rob Cullen said the chemicals used to make GHB have
industrial uses including paint removal.

Cullen said users can never be sure of the contents of what they buy on the
street. The person mixing up a batch of the drug has no way of measuring
his product before it's sold. "He's really taking a guess" when mixing the
chemicals, Cullen said.

When used as a date rape drug, Powley said victims wouldn't remember a
thing: "We have had a few reported cases in the regions." Jefferey
Hutchinson, 24, of Toronto, and Michael Moyer, 23, of Markham, are charged
with possessing a controlled substance. Moyer also is charged with
producing a controlled substance.