http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/phnx013007.html

DEA Operation: Red Dragon.

Summation?

Brian Howes, 43, and Kerry Ann Shanks, 28, both of West Lothian, Scotland, were taken into custody today by the Central Scotland Police following a far-reaching international investigation, entitled Operation Red Dragon. The arrests came after a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a sealed 82-count indictment against Howes and Shanks on September 27, 2006.

Howes and Shanks are in the custody of the police in the United Kingdom and are awaiting extradition to the United States and a total of 100 clandestine methamphetamine laboratories have been dismantled as a result of this investigation, including 20 in Arizona. The most recent lab seizure was January 8 in Phoenix, where various chemicals were found including iodine crystals and red phosphorous in original containers ordered from www.KNO3.com. Iodine crystals and red phosphorous are essential chemicals used in the conversion of pseudoephedrine into methamphetamine. Two individuals were arrested, one of whom was employed as a vocational teacher at the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections.

As far back as 2004, Howes and Shanks ran an Internet business suspected of supplying a global network of meth labs in the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. The couple’s website, www.KNO3.com, came to the attention of law enforcement authorities here after investigators in Arizona uncovered numerous clandestine methamphetamine laboratories here that had purchased their chemicals through KNO3.

Between August 2004 and November 2006, the website sold approximately 319,100 grams of red phosphorus and 45,950 grams of iodine to U.S. customers, enough to make over 1400 pounds of methamphetamine with a wholesale value of approximately $12,600,000.

Now this obviously is a more LT/BLTC style thread, however because this particular site had been questioned and suspected so many times I felt it would be handy to pas out this final word.

Lol bout fucking time they raided them. I suppose they were biding their time simply to get more and more suspected meth labs on the map to scout out.

Dude this is old as fuck.

yep it is

Fuck this is bad, I read about the whole extradiction thing in the times (A rare occasion when I actually read the paper.)

I thought the bill (or whatever) hadnt come into play, fuck this is bad... Now they can extradite UK citizens to the US

This country is well and truely fucked from every angle, we really are Americas little bitch :(

What next?

Any idea what trouble I'll be in? I purchased a total of about 500g of Mg powder from those guys a while ago as it was the only place I could get it from.

Mg isn't used for making meth.

^I'm aware of that, I was wondering if they are just going after the meth guys or everyone who ordered?

*shrug* I knew it wasn't exactly news but guessed (and rightly so, by the looks of it) that the precise outcome of that site wasn't completely known.

^I'm aware of that, I was wondering if they are just going after the meth guys or everyone who ordered?

If you haven't been raided yet... You're probably in the clear.

All the chems they were selling were legal in the UK so it really shouldnt be so much of a problem... Yet.

But surely something like that could be miss-enterpretated as some kind threat by some over zealous official?

Many customers of theirs were paid visits by CID and the Serious Crimes Squad and some from the local coppers, apparently. I think you would have received a knock by now and Mg is nothing to worry about either....the guys that they followed up on, from what I can work out, is those that ordered RP, I, Fuses or were regular customer or placers of large orders.

All visits were completed very quickly after the take-down (2nd time for them actually, the first time they were based in England, they got raided with tons of cops but no charges were bought, shit, they weren't doing anything illegal. They then moved to Scotland and were only taken down there due to the DEA. They haven't broken any laws in the UK, their charges are that for being a little naive over importing RP and I into the states. Brian was (and is) a real decent bloke and only started his e-shop as a tiny supplier of about 3 products - Fuses, Charcoal, Sulphur and did so in a small way. His problems starte solely because he didn't fully realise the extent to which the US had a problem with MEth and how his 'backdoor' importation (with his name and address on) pissed off the man after they had spent years enforcing their domestic laws on I/RP sales.

Brian is a regular guy like you and I, not some major criminal as he will be made out to be in the US.

Meanwhile organised crime, bribary etc exist healthily in the US and will continue to do so - easy to take a little man down and make it appear like they have scored a major hit for the Drug War..

Thanks Tom, it's good to hear some of the truth instead of just the DEA press releases.

Well, he's not breaking any formal rules ...

Illegal activities! Threats! Whatever it is, I'll support your decision :-).

I just got rid of those posts.

The UK police were totally surprised by the amount of amateur pyro guys out there, they didn't realise that hobbies such as pyro existed in any real way. They also turned up a lot of domestic sales of rp and i through other chemical suppliers but they could investigate no further due to MA being class B at the time - However,they did mention they could be more proactive about iodine rp sales if MA was made class A (which it now is) and check out addresses etc. Being class A brings with it extra powers for the police/resources/ cash etc.

Will link the report if I can find it again, stumbled over it months ago

Grinards (sp?) reaction bitches

Grinards (sp?) reaction bitches

*nodnod* grignards, yah, alkyl/aryl halide on elemental mg in THF --> organometallic reagent

Too true, but you will not be investigated for buying small amounts of magnesium- available OTC.

However, if you were retarded enough to buy red phosphorus and iodine....

Just tell them your making friction sensitive purple smoke bombs of death, they'll understand.

Methamphetamine manufacture via HI reduction of (pseudo)ephedrine is what the DEA is cracking on. They won't believe or won't want to believe differently. They will keep you on their radar.

The government doesn't care if you wipe out their entire population, as long as it doesnt cost them money(ie. meth addict's tie up hospital services etc. which costs the govt money)

I wanna see one of these "purple smoke bombs of death"'s :D

There's a bunch of vids up on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FcBZPB-PCU

Lulz officer, I was maekin uh, homemade matches

^when you know you're fucked, why not go down with a lol.