POLICE ARREST 3, TICKET 445 AT RAVE

U.S. Customs Tip Leads Racine Officers to Hall

Racine - Acting on a tip from U.S. Customs agents, Racine police
infiltrated and then busted a rave party early Sunday, arresting three
people, ticketing 445 others and confiscating various drugs, including
more than 100 Ecstasy pills.

"To my knowledge, this is the biggest rave ever in Racine," Detective
Lt. Robert Purdy said Sunday night. "There have been a few previous
raves, but nothing nearly to the extent of this one."

Police said they received the U.S. Customs tip before the start of the
rave, which was held Saturday night in the basement of Tradewinds, a
tavern and banquet hall at 1518 Washington Ave.

Because of the tip authorities were able to plan the raid, Purdy said,
with a "very strong, proactive law enforcement action" against drug
activity typically associated with rave parties, which are underground
gatherings of youths that feature techno music.

"Rave parties are not going to be part of our community and are not
going to be tolerated," Purdy said.

Undercover police paid for admittance to the party, which was promoted
as a "haunted house in a haunted theater," just after midnight. They
were redirected by organizers to the party, where police discovered
there was no haunted house at all, Purdy said.

The 25 police officers involved were able to contain the hundreds of
ravers by blocking off all building exits, Purdy said.

Purdy said the "vast majority" of those attending the party were not
from Racine, mostly because the rave had been promoted nationwide
through fliers and the Internet. While some in attendance were from
Milwaukee and Chicago, the rave attracted people from Nevada,
Maryland, Missouri and Arizona, Purdy said.

Police said a 22-year-old West Allis man was arrested on suspicion of
felony possession of Ecstasy; a 21-year-old Fremont man was arrested
on suspicion of possession of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and drug
paraphernalia; and a 21-year-old Bartlett man was arrested on possible
charges of felony possession of Ecstasy with intent to deliver and
felony possession and delivery of ketamine hydrochloride, an anesthetic.

The 445 party-goers were issued municipal tickets on accusations of
being "patrons of a disorderly house with controlled substances,"
police said.

The event organizers were not among those arrested, Purdy said, but
they were being questioned.

Purdy said Tradewinds staff, who rented the banquet hall to the party
organizers, also were being questioned on whether they had knowledge
of drug activity at the rave.

In addition to the Ecstasy, police confiscated marijuana and cocaine.