Chemical Cowboys by Lisa Sweetingham
The DEA's Secret Mission to Hunt Down a Notorious Ecstasy Kingpin
Jul 13, 2009
Ecstasy. X. Adam. The Love Drug. Disco Biscuits. 3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Call it what you want; the DEA calls it trouble and the dealers call it highly profitable. This well researched true crime story from a seasoned reporter will appeal to anyone who enjoys a good cat and mouse game between good guys and bad guys.
Sweetingham spent four years working on Chemical Cowboys which included spending lots of time with the main agents who worked the cases, and traveling the world to get firsthand knowledge of the ecstacy smuggling scene.
The DEA Goes After Ecstasy
A number of agents figure in the fight to quell the tide of little pink pills that began flooding into New York, Miami, Los Angeles and other American cities in the early 90's. Of these, the American's Gagne and Germanowski get most of the page time. This is fitting since it was these two agents that first investigated the New York club drug scene and raised awareness in the DEA that MDMA was a problem.
Other agents and even supervisors were skeptical that the DEA should devote resources to what they deridingly called "kiddie dope." What were a few pretty little pills when there was so much heroin and cocaine to go after? Although legal, clinical use of MDMA had (and still has) its proponents, it didn't take long for the hazards of illegal MDMA use to be revealed.
Ecstasy Dealers vs. the Cops
For some reason, Israeli expatriates seemed to take the lead in importing and marketing ecstasy in the United States. They operated in the U.S. when they could, until it became more favorable to be based in Europe, especially Holland, Belgium and France. There are actually several "kingpins" that figure in the story, including a well-known New York Club owner, and several mobsters. The descriptions of the New York club scene of the 90's, and Gagne's and Germanowski's efforts to penetrating this world undercover, are truly entertaining.
There wouldn't be much of a story if the DEA didn't largely succeed in bringing the major dealers to justice. One by one, with cooperation between foreign and American agents, the big players get reeled in. The book sort of shudders and skids to an anticlimactic halt as each of the kingpins gets caught. No big gun battles, no dramatic trial scenes, they just go to jail. There are enough twists and turns woven in though, to keep it readable.
Chemical Cowboys offers a detailed and super-realistic look into the world of drug trafficking, the intricacies of international law, and the efforts of dedicated law enforcement professionals. Going after clever and determined drug smugglers is hard and sometimes tedious work. Those who choose to do it really believe in what they are doing.
References
Chemical Cowboys, 2008, Lisa Sweetingham, Ballantine Books, New York, ISBN 978-0-345-49995-0
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