Lakeville Raid Part of National Crackdown
A drug bust at a Lakeville home Wednesday was reportedly part of a national crackdown on a ring that sold the so-called date rape drug GHB over the Internet.
Attorney General John Aschcroft revealed details of “Operation Webslinger” Thursday. Ashcroft said the sweep netted 115 dealers in 84 U.S. and Canadian cities.
Investigators say, more than 25 million doses of GHB were seized. Authorities also confiscated chemicals used to make the drug.
Agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency raided the Lakeville home Wednesday because they believe it may be involved in the selling of club drugs to young people. While local DEA agents refuse to confirm yesterday’s raid – Minneapolis is listed as a site of a Webslinger raid on the DEA web site.
Sources say two chemicals used in club drugs were found in a raid of the same home in 2000. Possession of the chemicals is not illegal.
The owner of the house, whose name is not being released, is on vacation.
GHB is a mixture of common industrial chemicals. The drug can cause drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and loss of inhibition. People who take the drug, sometimes unwittingly, also suffer memory lapses. The DEA has documented 71 deaths from the drug.
The drug is sold over the Internet by dealers operating their own websites and is delivered by mail.
“This takedown is a dose of harsh reality for drug traffickers who seek to exploit the vast markets and anonymity of cyberspace,” Ashcroft said.
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