PORTUGUESE NATIONAL CHARGED WITH SMUGGLING 9.2 POUNDS OF ECSTASY WORTH $500,000 INTO UNITED STATES VIA JFK AIRPORT FOR TRANSSHIPMENT TO FLORIDA

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown joined by officials of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced today the arrest of a 25 year old Portuguese national on charges of smuggling 9.2 pounds of ecstasy worth approximately $500,000 into the United States via John F. Kennedy International Airport yesterday.

District Attorney Brown said, “The defendant was arrested carrying tens of thousands of tablets of ecstasy contained in 5 plastic bags that were taped to her abdomen and to her calves. The defendant was apparently taking the ecstasy -- which is also known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDA -- to Tampa, Florida for distribution there.”

Chief James Romito, Chief of the Port Authority Police said, “The keen observation of security personnel and Port Authority Police have allowed us to arrest a major drug smuggler at John F. Kennedy International Airport. We will not tolerate our airports being used as conduits for the transportation of drugs through this region. We will continue our efforts in cooperation with airline security, U.S. Customs, the INS and the Federal Aviation Administration to identify those who may try to engage in this illegal practice.”

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant at Ana Maria Esteves of Odivelas, Portugal. She was arrested at about 4:00 p.m. yesterday at a Jet Blue gate at JFK airport. She has been charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree and faces up to 8 1/3 years to life if convicted.

District Attorney Brown said, “As we have pointed out in the past ecstasy is a stimulant which also has hallucinogenic properties. It has become increasingly popular with young people in clubs or at private parties to heighten the user's energy, level and keep him or her alert. In addition to keeping the user alert and awake the drug can cause brain damage. Less severe adverse effects include nausea, hallucinations and chills and after effects such as depression, paranoia and anxiety have been reported.”

District Attorney Brown said, “Ecstasy has become big business here in the United States. It is usually manufactured in Europe -- frequently in Holland and Belgium -- and transported here where it sells for as much as $30 per tablet and it costs only $1 or $2 a tablet to make -- it is a very lucrative trade and therefore increasingly popular.”

The arrest was carried out by Port Authority Police Officer Matthew Walpole under the supervision of Port Authority Police Inspector Anthony Infante, commanding officer of Port Authority Police Department police at JFK airport and the overall command of Chief James Romito, Chief of the Port Authority Police Department. Assistant District Attorney Peri A. Kadanoff head of the District Attorney's Airport Investigations Unit which is under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Gerard A. Brave, Chief of the Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau, is in charge of the case.

It should be noted that an arrest is merely an accusation and that a defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty.