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A handgun and $100,000 in drug cash were recovered along with the nearly 12 pounds of Ecstasy and Ketamine, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
Members of Suarez’s Narcotics Task Force teamed up with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Newark and the federal Postal Inspection Service to make the case, the prosecutor said on Monday, Feb. 26.
Arrested in the area of 91st Street and Bergenwood Avenue last Thursday, she said, were Mauricio Hurtado, 42, of Secaucus, Jose Restrepo, 57, of North Bergen, and Carlos Florez, 49, of Bloomingdale.
All were charged locally with various drug offenses, as well as with conspiracy, Suarez said.
Hurtado was also charged with various weapons possession and money laundering counts following a court-approved raid on his apartment, she said.
The popularity of Ecstasy (or MDMA) mixed with ketamine puts the street value of the polydrug seized at around $500,000, the prosecutor said.
That’s because recreational users hope that ketamine’s sedative qualities combined with the feelings of love and spiritual connection generated by Ecstasy will create an even better sensation.
Some also see the ketamine (or “Special K”) as a hedge against the anxiety, irritability, depression and sleep disturbances when coming down from Ecstasy.
Users call it “kitty flipping.”
Experts on drug use and addiction call it worse than mixing alcohol and prescription pills. Given the uncertainty of how much of each drug is in the mix, they warn, the likelihood of an overdose increases significantly.
Inexperienced users are especially at risk. Not having built a tolerance to either drug, they could suffer severe consequences -- even if they don’t overdose and die, the experts say.
Such a polymix puts a huge strain on the heart, for one thing. Users could also become even more anxious and agitated when they come down than they would with just Ecstasy.
Ketamine was once known as a horse tranquilizer, but it’s being used more and more to sedate humans before surgery or other procedures. It can induce mild psychedelic trips or trigger much more powerful (and not always pleasant) hallucinations, creating a state known as the “K Hole.”
MDMA, meanwhile, has been known to cause overheating, heart attacks and strokes – even for those who consume significant amounts of water.
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