Ecstasy Dealer Sentenced

Hazel Inglis/ 11/14/08 / global crime/ 3:06 pm

Lan Dang, 53, of Toronto, Canada, was the head of international Asian drug trafficking organization. The illegal drugs were manufactured in Canada and distributed in the United States from Boston to Atlanta. From August 29, 2006 to October 20, 2006, it is estimated that Dang sold 138,000 ecstasy pills to two Philadelphia-based drug dealers, Minh La and Roberck Suon. Vutha Kao and Jeremy Warren were transporting 45,000 ecstasy pills from Philadelphia to Atlanta when they were caught on October 20, 2006 by the Pennsylvania State Police during a traffic stop of the vehicle.

In December 2006, Dang was convicted of conspiracy to import 138,000 ecstasy pills into the United States, importing ecstasy pills, and money laundering. November 7, 2006, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison, had to forfeit the proceeds of his drug trafficking offenses in the amount of $190,000, pay a $1,500 fine, a $300 special assessment, and spend three years on supervised release after serving his prison sentence. The other men involved, Minh La, Roberck Suon, Vutha Kao, and Jeremy Warren, were also charged and convicted of drug trafficking.

You often hear about the international drug trafficking in regards to cocaine, marijuana, and other illegal drugs, but you rarely hear about illegal international trade of pills such as ecstasy. I guess people in general feel that the abuse of pills is not as serious and as harmful as other illegal drugs.

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0810/081009philadelphia.htm