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 Frontline on the Eve of 2000
Commissioner Kelly's Message
(12/30/1999)Columnist Jack Newfield has written in heart wrenching detail about an 18-year-old who died after taking ecstasy in a dance club where the drug sold for $25 a tablet and water for $5 a bottle. Newfield described how the extremely dehydrated boy tried to suck water from the club's bathroom tap that had been turned off so that those with drug induced thirst would be forced to buy the bottled water. The story puts a tragic human face on the popularity and profitability of this dangerous drug. It also puts in context the importance of the work of Inspectors Victor Watson, Shawn Carroll, Kevin Sterling, and Cole German, and Special Agents Michael Spinella and James Barnes in intercepting about 100 pounds of ecstasy in three separate shipments to the FedEx facility in Memphis. From there, controlled deliveries to Upland, California, with the help of Senior Special Agent Perry Johnson, led to the seizure of another 582 pounds of ecstasy. These one million tablets represented the largest ecstasy seizure ever. Tonight, as most Americans ring in the new millennium with parties and celebration, Customs personnel will be on duty across America and around the world. I will be receiving reports at the Customs Emergency Response Center that has been established at our Data Center. I wish every American could have this ringside seat. They would see how some of the best law enforcement personnel in the world protect the Nation around the clock. Best wishes to you all for a well-deserved Happy New Year. Raymond W. Kelly Commissioner |
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