By Jorge Casuso
March 18 – Well over $1 million worth of the drug Ecstasy was taken off the streets of Santa Monica Sunday, when local police helped bust a supplier working out of his car in the beachfront city.
The suspect -- identified as Ramandeep Singh Sandhu, a 25-year-old resident of Fremont California -- was arrested at about 5:15 p.m. near the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Broadway Avenue, where he was sitting in a parked car.
Sandhu was detained and a subsequent search of his vehicle led to the recovery of approximately 40 pounds of MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), a hallucinogenic drug commonly known as "Ecstasy."
Investigators believe Sandhu intended to sell the approximately 51,000 tablets of Ecstasy in his possession.
“It’s a popular drug on the Westside, which is why we work it,” said Sgt. Robert Almada, who supervises the narcotics unit.
The bust took place after Santa Monica Police Department Narcotics Investigators, working with agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the El Monte Police Department, observed a suspicious person sitting in a parked car.
“We had information he might be at the location,” Almada said “We had information about what he was doing.
“This guy was supplying mid-level dealers,” he said.
Ecstasy “is making an upsurge” in part due to the skyrocketing cost of cocaine and Methamphetamine, commonly known as speed, Almada said.
The price of a hit of Ecstasy is between $20 and $25, compared to $100 for cocaine or speed, he said.
“Due to increased border security, the supply routes aren’t as successful,” Almada said.
Ecstasy – which combines hallucinogenic properties with the stimulant found in cocaine and speed – is mainly manufactured in Eastern Europe and makes it’s way into the U.S. through Canada, he said.
Sandhu, who is believed to be a Canadian National, was booked into the Santa Monica Jail Sunday evening. On Monday, he was transferred into federal custody, pending federal narcotics trafficking charges.
