OFFICIALS SAY INTERNATIONAL ECSTASY RING IS SMASHED

Federal authorities announced yesterday that they had broken up what they
called an international narcotics ring in which Dominican drug dealers in
New York were importing thousands of Ecstasy tablets from the Netherlands.

In one case, the smugglers hid 21,000 Ecstasy tablets in the frame of a
print of Rembrandt's "Night Watch," which were seized by the authorities in
August, officials said.

In all, 20 people were arrested, including 11 in New York on Monday and 9
in the Netherlands yesterday, said James B. Comey, the United States
attorney in Manhattan. He said that the authorities had seized more than
100,000 Ecstasy tablets.

Anthony P. Placido, the special agent in charge of the New York office of
the D.E.A., said the arrests were significant because Dominican drug
dealers "have got the infrastructure" for the distribution of heroin or
cocaine, and they were now "expanding their product line, if you will."

Mr. Comey said the pills were not going "to some junkie on the street
corner," but to teenagers.