Mesa Police Department 2001 Annual Report
News Article

Police go after 'Ecstasy' dealers, make 32 arrests

by Tamara Leitner
The Mesa Tribune
February 6, 2001

     Police have identified 41 suspected Valley "Ecstasy" dealers -- some as young as 15 -- and arrested 32 of them in an effort to stomp out the growing designer-drug epidemic.
     "We're going to have to keep looking at this as a problem," said Phoenix police Lt. Al Thiele.
     Police said the five-month investigation that took them to raves throughout the Valley will be the first of many multi-agency arrests to target Ecstasy dealers.
     The drug, which gives users a sense of euphoria, is growing in popularity among teenagers and young adults to frequent the all-night parties.
     Fifteen arrests came Monday when more than 50 officers from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Mesa and Phoenix police departments swept the Valley, armed with warrants for felony sale of dangerous drugs.
     Rather than focus on users, police said they are going after the source. They made 59 purchases of Ecstasy -- at $20 to $30 a pill -- at Valley raves.
     "We're targeting dealers, because if we target users we would have hundreds of arrests," said Mesa police Lt. Ron Kirby.
     Most of those arrested were in their teens or early 20s from Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert, Apache Junction, Phoenix and Prescott. They were booked at a Phoenix police substation and were expected to be transferred to Maricopa County's Madison Street Jail in Phoenix late Monday.
     "X dealers tend to be young," said Mesa police Sgt. Carl McCormies. "They tend to be of a middle social class, because of the fact that the majority of the X is going to be taken to raves."
     When police arrested Sonya Celis, 20, at the Tiburon Apartments in Mesa Monday afternoon, the rave promoter denied selling Ecstasy.
     "I haven't gone to a party in a couple weeks," Celis said. "I told you I'm trying to stay away from raves and get a job."
     Celis did admit to having used Ecstasy. She said the drug is not addictive, but rather that she is trying to "get off it."
     Celis said she started going to raves four years ago when she was kicked out of her house. Eventually she began hosting the all-night dance parties, where several hundred kids would show up.
     It's supposed to be some drug phenomena at raves," Celis said. "But it's not like that. Kids go to have fun."
     Police disagree.
     "To date, we have not found any raves occurring that are not drug-oriented," McCormies said. Two Phoenix raves closed after police started their crackdown.
     Police seized more than 400 Ecstasy tablets with a street value of roughly $13,000, prescription pills, liquid acid, LSD, marijuana, psilocybin hallucinogenic mushrooms, ketamine hydrochloride, four vehicles and nearly $2,500 in cash.
     More than 20 law enforcement agents from Mesa, Phoenix and the sheriff's office participated in Sunday's bust at the Nile Theater, 105 W. Main St., Mesa. Six suspected drug dealers were arrested, as was one security guard who refused to let police into the club.
     One 17-year-old Mesa boy police suspected of selling Ecstasy had no pills on him when he was arrested, but had nearly $900 in $20 bills in one of his pockets.
     Another suspected drug dealer had more than $1,300 cash on him and a list of phone numbers of suspected Ecstasy dealers.  He also had a price list for the pills, police said.
     The ravers arrived by the carloads. Some were dropped off by their parents.
     Revelers hydrated themselves with bottles of water in the parking lot before entering the steamy club. Ravers stuffed what appeared to be drugs in their shoes, belts and bags. Then walked boldly past uniformed officers to the club, where security guards performed a cursory search.
     "This is an epidemic problem," Kirby said. "It happens ever weekend."
     In addition to the seven arrested that night for drug possession and sale, 14 others were arrested outside the club on misdemeanor charges.
     "Our efforts are a small dent, but hopefully our efforts will have an effect on parents and the kids," Thiele said.

--Tribune writer Tamara Leitner can be reached by e-mail at tleitner@aztrib.com or by calling (480) 898-6446.

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