Recent RC article about ACS owner

[snapper]

Internet drug-sale penalty: 13 years
By PENNY BROWN ROBERTS
proberts@theadvocate.com
Advocate staff writer

When Michael Burton started selling designer drugs over the Internet, he
never imagined anyone would get hurt.

That was before James Edward Downs -- a 22-year-old St. Francisville
quadriplegic -- dipped the tip of his tongue into a little blue vial of white
powder from American Chemical Supply, developed a 108-degree
temperature, had a seizure, went into a coma and died.

"This is definitely a wake-up call of actions versus consequences," the
25-year-old Burton said Friday in federal court before he was sentenced
to 13 years in prison. "There are things that could happen you might
never foresee."

U.S. District Judge Frank Polozola also ordered him to pay nearly $16,000
in restitution to Downs' family, and more than $5,000 to Ingenix
Subrogation Services, a firm involved in Downs' health-care costs. Burton
also must forfeit all the proceeds from his business as well as his Web
site.

"This case is symbolic of what a lot of people have been saying for a very
long time and that is that there is no such thing as a victimless drug
crime," Polozola said. "You just happened to be lucky because you took
the same drugs and nothing happened."

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The sentencing concludes a case that last summer launched a national
federal investigation into Internet sites that sell designer drugs under the
guise of "research chemicals."

Burton -- one of 11 people arrested across the country -- admitted in
March that he sold the Ecstasy-like substance that led to Downs' death
via an online company called American Chemical Supply.

Burton is from Las Vegas; Downs lived in St. Francisville, which is why the
case was prosecuted in Baton Rouge federal court.

The investigation targeted so-called analogue drugs, which produce the
same stimulant and hallucinatory effects as Ecstasy or LSD, but have a
slightly altered chemical makeup so they are less easily identified as
controlled substances.

Authorities say dealers also try to avoid prosecution by selling the
substances as "research chemicals" that are not intended for human
consumption. But because they come in powder rather than pill form --
and recommended dosages can vary by as little as a milligram -- users
run a higher risk of overdosing.

A criminal complaint filed in the case indicates ACS made $300,000 in
Internet sales during one three-month period, wired to offshore accounts
through banks in the West Indies and Lithuania. The company also spent
more than $10,000 advertising its wares on Google, a mainstream
Internet search site.

In late February or early March of 2004, Downs went online and ordered
two "research chemicals" -- IAP and 2C-T-21 -- for $265 from American
Chemical Supply. On March 9, he took some of the powder and started
experiencing blurred vision, uncontrollable shaking and increased body
temperature.

He lapsed into a coma and died four days later.

"I want to offer my condolences to the Downs family," Burton said Friday.
"I never could have imagined it would come to this. I never knew James,
but I'm sure his tragic loss is deeply felt."

Downs' parents -- Johnny and Charlotte Downs -- did not attend the
sentencing and declined to comment through their lawyer, David Shelby.

Shelby told Polozola he hoped Burton's sentence would mean "tragedies
like this can be avoided with other young people in this country."

Burton faced between 12 and 15 years in prison. In pronouncing
sentence, the judge noted that Burton had ingested the chemicals he
claimed to sell strictly for research, and also had a "drinking problem."

As additional reasons for the 13-year term, Polozola also cited Burton's
"immaturity" and a "lack of parental structure while he was growing up
whether he wants to admit it or not."

"The court also has to take into consideration there was a problem here
with the death of a young person," Polozola said. "While nobody made Mr.
Downs take those drugs, those in this business have to face the
consequences."

After the hearing, U.S. Attorney David Dugas said there is evidence that
analogue drug distribution nationwide has fallen since the arrests last
summer.

At the time the investigation began, Dugas said, the sale of designer
drugs over the Internet was a "growing trend."

"It was disturbing because these drugs are typically new and their dosage
and effect are often unknown to the users and therefore more dangerous
than traditional drugs like cocaine or marijuana," he said. "I hope this
prosecution makes members of the public aware of the danger of
experimenting with any drug -- but particularly with designer drugs."


Link - http://2theadvocate.com/stories/1029...nalty001.shtml

I love the part about RCs being more dangerous than cocaine. Seems lots
more have died and / or ruined their lives with blow....

Snapper

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good piece, thanks.

[elbow]

I really don't know how I feel about this one. I suppose I believe that
ultimately, drug dealers should not be held responsible for the actions
of their customers, if cigarette/alcohol/gun manufacturers are not held
responsible either.



Burton seems to have been rather greedy...but I don't undrstand how the
judge could cite a lack of "parental control" as a reason for giving
him a longer sentence. It sounds like this judge was just speaking to
the media, creating a pro-drugwar propaganda sound-bite. There are
plenty of people in the US without any parental structure or proper
ingrained morality and ultimately I would say that the moral vacuum of
our selfish, survival of the fittest capitalist society is much more to
blame for this than any specific person's lack of parents!

[glogga]

The whole case is for the media. They have to show they scapegoated someone for the stupid kid who stuck his tongue in a vial and died.

This case is symbolic of what a lot of people have been saying for a very
long time and that is that there is no such thing as a victimless drug
crime," Polozola said. "You just happened to be lucky because you took
the same drugs and nothing happened."

No. I just happened to use a fucking scale.



Edited by: glogga

[Triple7]

I never ordered from ACS, but I remember then being cheap.. probably he
got 2g rc.. and that is quite a lot for a single dose.. pherhaps he
didn't take all at once.. whatever, he has been playing with over 1k
doses of rc..



Anyone who would survive 1k head ache pills???????? Who goes to jail if i ate 1k head ache pills??



Recently 2 yongsters died in japan when they got tamiflu. Who is going to jail??????????



Fucktards to scientists who can't relate doses... they do have a licence to kill.

[Dualpower]

"It was disturbing because these drugs are typically new and their dosage


and effect are often unknown to the users and therefore more dangerous


than traditional drugs like cocaine or marijuana," he said. "I hope this


prosecution makes members of the public aware of the danger of


experimenting with any drug -- but particularly with designer drugs."

It's rhetoric like this that will soon see vague laws with sweeping powers!



Something to the tune of the "If it feels good, its illegal act"

[sands of time]

If a doctor perscribes medicine, and the patient takes the whole bottle in one day and dies, the doctor is not at fault. If a chemical supplier sells an uncontrolled substance and the buyer does something stupid like dipping their tongue in the vial, than the supplier should be treated the same. It's criminal for someone to spend 13 years in jail over this. Was that analogue law in effect when the purchase was made?

At any rate, buyer beware... Do the research. This is a great example of darwinism... The stupid will die out while the careful will prevail.

Reputation Comments on this post:

rooting thru the archives...i just had to pull one out for old times sake! PREACH IT SANDS!

[Richard_smoker]

No, the analogue law was NOT clearly described at that time as it is now. This was an excuse to start enforcement of a different KIND of law--one that tries to stomp out "designer drugs" instead of research chemicals... apparently the judge thought that it was significant that burton had injested his own chems... by the way, i think burton's lawyer was injesting his chems as well--that is, if the judge found out that he was injesting his RC's himself!! that's the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard... err read.

[Ninja Master]

yea, what kind of solid evidence is thare that he took his
chemicals. the dea is a heap of shit and so is the united
states. im moving to japan so i can eat a bunch of research
chemicals! elbow hell yea.... that post makes me want to go
get drunk, wreck my car, then sue captain morgan for my own
actions. ill have the cops that i beat up join the class action law suit against captain morgan.



yea this is my first official ass kissing post,

GREAT THREAD!!!!



Z



Edited by: Ninja Master