Over the course of my career, I have been assigned to various units to include Sex Crimes, Homicide and Narcotics. Having worked as an undercover operative in the field of narcotic enforcement for over 10 years, I have purchased illegal drugs on hundreds of occasions and have participated in thousands of investigations involving county, state and federal agencies. During this time I have witnessed many trends develop which involve illegal drugs. In the summer of 1999 I was part of a team that initiated an undercover operation into the world of Rave drugs. What I observed was shocking and many of the images were covertly captured on surveillance tape.
Ecstasy is a drug emerging as a favorite among today's youth.
Unlike the well-known dark images of heroin and crack cocaine that the public has become familiar with, many think that Ecstasy is a harmless pill that looks no more ominous than an aspirin. Young adults who would not consider sticking a needle in their arm or smoking from a crack pipe are now popping Ecstasy at an alarming rate. What was once an underground drug only seen at Rave parties has now infiltrated our schools, house parties and nightclubs. During memorial weekend 1999 Ecstasy hit the New Jersey shore with a frightening impact that had not been seen before in these summer communities. The result was an alarming increase in the number of drug overdoses.