Student pleads to LSD lab

[Herbal Remedy]

Sorry this article doesnt seem to contain all the facts SWiHR read in the paper, but its the only online source he could find on the story. The newspaper told about how he was busted (apparently a fellow coworker caught on) and listed the chemicals he had aquired, as well as how far along in the process he was. If anyone finds more info please post it. I feel for the kid, peace...

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?se...cal&id=4116913

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - April 26, 2006 - A former Widener University chemistry student pleaded guilty in federal court today to charges that he tried to make LSD in an improvised lab at a state park.

The student, 23-year-old Paul Little, told District Judge Joseph Farnan he did it to pay for college. Little says he was having a hard time holding down a job while going to school, and he thought this was the answer to his financial problems.
Little worked part-time at The Nature Center in White Clay Creek State Park and was allowed to live at a farmhouse in the park. He set up a lab in a barn adjacent to the house in June 2005.

Prosecutors say Little found a recipe for the drug online or in a textbook, and had acquired many of the chemicals he needed.

Little, who is originally from upstate New York and had no previous criminal record, faces up to 20 years in jail and a $1 million fine on the charge of manufacturing LSD when Farnan sentences him in July.

[Nagognog2]

This would be going to jail for wishful thinking. There is no way this kid could have actually succeeded in synthesising LSD25 from reading an online-recipe and having some chemicals "out in the woods, dude."

The bottom line here is he is being prosecuted for having a pipe-dream. George Orwell would be proud.

Reputation Comments on this post:

george orwell - good metafoor for showing how rediculous this is!

[Herbal Remedy]

The fact of the matter is that he was trying to synth LSD. I mean, this is the united states, if you get caught with a makeshift laboratory and many of the key chemicals required in such a synthesis (in a barn on a state park, of all places) you're pretty fucked.

The newspaper article gave a good amount of background on this kid, he seems very well educated in chemistry, and he had thousands of dollars in outside fundings and supplies worked out. This seems to hint that this was somewhat of a "professional" operation, that he wasnt just a kid in the woods with a copy of the anarchist cookbook or some recipe on morning glory seeds.

Besides, just because the prosecution says he found the recipe online or in a textbook, doesnt make it the truth. This Little guy could tell them whatever he needs to to not make things worse (i mean he could be an organic chem buff, or an albert hoffman fan, or just know some very smart people, ya know?). He may not have had a finished batch on him when arrested, but with all the evidence he did have on him, it surely would have been a "quick and speedy trial" if you know what I mean, peace...

[Silence_Inc]

but is it proven btw that he had succeeded in getting ALL the ingredients ... i mean - i'm no real expert but isn't that like impossible these days ... kinda gives me hope for other means.

ergotamine is it, right?

if i tell a cop i wanna smoke pot and i'm smoking red thee - they can't touch me either.

like Nag said - he's being prosecuted for a dream - something that isn't real - an illusion - an idea ... big brother... don't bother ...

[Sklander]

Even still, if you get caught with a lab and even some of the chemicals to pull the synth off you're totally fucked. It sucks, and SWIM wishes Little had pulled it off, but he broke the first rule: Don't Get Caught.

[raven3davis]

SWIM would be more than willing to bet that he has pulled off the synthesis (or another synthesis), and if not, he had the knowledge to pull it off successfully. Do you remember any of the precursors he used? Ergotamine Tartrate is one of the popular starting chemicals SWIM believes.

Even if it was just a dream, it is not like he was just trying to make acid from some random recipe he got offline. He probably had some material printed offline as references when he was doing the synthesis. If he was really trying to pay for college do you think he was just going to waste thousands dollars in precorsors on failed attempts? It might be hard to make cid but this cat probably knew a ting or two about what he was doing.

It sucks he got nabbed though. He is going to have a long time to think about what he did in jail, which is not too big of a crime if you ask buddy boy SWIM. SWIM wishes the best for him.....maybe he pulled off a synthesis or two and has a wad of money stashed somewhere out in the woods dude!

[Silence_Inc]

still little extreme to try to make money with 'cid ... if i would have been him - plants would have done the job too ... ther eis more behind this than college probably.

damn drugwar - no more freedom.

i hate it that we have to legit us to them instead they have to ledit their laws to us ... the world is going sideways ...

[Herbal Remedy]

Originally Posted by Silence_Inc

still little extreme to try to make money with 'cid ... if i would have been him - plants would have done the job too ... ther eis more behind this than college probably.

damn drugwar - no more freedom.

i hate it that we have to legit us to them instead they have to ledit their laws to us ... the world is going sideways ...

Im no expert of the sciences, but I think it may have been the fact that LSD is viable at such a small quantity (compared to other drugs/compounds) that got him onto the idea. Also, the synthesis probably only takes a couple days(or so Ive read), while growing plants takes months (just the kind of rush thinking he probably had going on with his financial situation). He probably figured he could make one descent sized batch, and it would have him set($) for a LONG time.

The newspaper article (UdelReview) also had his friends/roomates talking about how he never was into drugs, and it was hard to even get him to drink. This leads me to believe that he was probably just a poor chemisty head who, when he really thought about it, saw how much money there was to be made with an illegal substance like LSD.

I hope he knew what he was doing, it would be sad to get busted for trying to make BAD acid, ya know...

[Jonah]

It's a damn dirty shame that he's facing twenty years for something so holy. I hope he gets a break somewhere, but i doubt that's going to be the situation. Wonder why he chose a barn on a state park instead of some friendly basement somewhere?

[Nagognog2]

"Wonder why he chose a barn on a state park instead of some friendly basement somewhere?"

When a scientist conducts an experiment, he/she first establishes the parameters for the experiment. These parameters cover all the possible causes for errors, mistakes, forgotten data, etc. You try to cover every possible result to prevent mishaps that will ruin your final results.

This was done when the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant was built in Seabrook, New Hampshire USA. They covered every possible problem.

And then they built it on an active earthquake fault-line. Anyone in the market for some ocean-front real estate? Cheap?

[rxbandit]

OMFG wow i knew this man and this is truly horrible. and nagnog he actually did suceed... i know this for a fact he if im right he got caught with 3 of the 4 test tubes full he synthesized by a family that wandered in on him on a picnic that called the cops. a friend of an uncles girlfriend relayed this story and expressed sadness about his XXX hit connection getting arrested.

hmm for such a small city wilmingtons sure blowing up the drug news, first the salvia suicide now this. this is the first time ive seen the official article though.

*Do NOT post prices*

Reputation Comments on this post:

Prices NOT allowed

[rxbandit]

SWIM would also like to add that he believes LSA may have been mass extracted from a plant source other then ergot and convert as this is a possible route in the synthesis.

[The Mad Hatter]

hmm... i dunno, sounds like this kid either lied to authorities to hopefully make the situation look better "please officer, i didn't mean no harm, i needed money for college, surely u understand" or he's just a plain idiot. I mean if you want to make money "cookin up some shit in the woods", I think methamphetamine is the way to go. it is my understanding that the few chemists capable and willing to produce LSD are definitely not in it for the money, and definitely arent in a fucking state park. If I had to guess, this kid probably had some of the materials he needed but if he hadn't have gotten caught, he woulkd have either blown himself up or had an unsuccessful batch of some weird lysergamide pop up.

[Draziok]

Why would he try even making it in a state park.. lol