32° CLEAR, N.C. State student charged with selling ecstasy in Wilmington
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 8:45 p.m.
Authorities arrested a 20-year-old man this week who they say brought the drug ecstasy from Chapel Hill to sell in New Hanover County.
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Steven Ray Spatola of Raleigh was arrested around 1 a.m. Tuesday in a parking lot off of Sigmon Road in Wilmington, according to Capt. David Ciamillo of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies searched Spatola’s Lincoln Continental and seized 150 ecstasy pills and a small amount of marijuana.
Ciamillo said Spatola was major supplier of ecstasy, also known as MDMA, in New Hanover County. Because of the quantity of drugs seized, Spatola could face several years in prison if convicted.
The arrest was the culmination of a two-week investigation by the county’s vice narcotics unit.
MDMA is a dangerous hallucinogenic drug, Ciamillo said, which can injure or kill users. The pills seized were different colors and were branded with anchors, pistols and other symbols.
Spatola faces charges of trafficking MDMA by possession and by transportation, as well as possession with the intent to distribute, Ciamillo said. He faces misdemeanor charges of possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Spatola is a student at North Carolina State University. He is being held at the New Hanover County jail on a $150,000 bond.
If convicted of drug trafficking, Spatola would face mandatory jail time, Ciamillo said.
David Reynolds: 343-2075
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Comments
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November 19, 2008 10:59:43 pm
It's funny not many want to comment on this drug dealer. This drug dealer is a disgrace to the community. He is adding to the deliquency of the youth.
November 20, 2008 3:40:27 am
Wish the govmint would declare open season on drug dealers........I think the govmint works harder protecting their rights than finding and killing them. Oops, did I say killing them?
November 20, 2008 5:31:16 am
There wouldn't be drug dealers if there wasn't a demand... This is a kid who helps his friends get high, not a Red Cross St crack dealer. He broke the law and should be punished, but there is a big difference between recreational drugs like XTC and Pot and addictive drugs like cocaine and heroine...... The Government has been loosing the war on drugs since Bush Senior started it, time for something new like prevention, education, and legalization to take away drug dealers "jobs."
November 20, 2008 8:53:43 am
OMG! I know that you "ditt-unt" just say what I thought that you said -"there is a big difference between recreational drugs like XTC and Pot and addictive drugs like cocaine and heroine...... The Government has been loosing the war on drugs since Bush Senior started it, time for something new like prevention, education, and legalization to take away drug dealers "jobs."All these drugs, in any form are illegal. You make it sound like some are "Good for you, and some are bad for you"..... They are all bad for you, get real! And MOST are addictive in any form!
"Recreational drugs"? "Recreational" is something we do for FUN, like going to your child's baseball or soccer game; watching a NASCAR race is recreational; playing vollyball or a round of golf with friends is recreational - NOT TAKING DRUGS!P-LEEEZE! Go by a quart of "Jack Daniels", drink it ALL by yourself, and then go for a nice quiet drive on a mountain road.....
Good luck, and Have a nice day!
November 20, 2008 9:58:44 am
I knew someone would overreact to my statements without offering anything constructive. I said that the guy should get punished, but as a former anti-drug educator, I know that there will always be drugs and there will always be people who want to get high. There will NEVER be a way to eliminate suppy, so it seems that reducing demand is the best chance we have.
As for the war on drugs. We've lost. I'm just saying to try something else! "Just Say No" did not work. Harsher Sentancing did not work. Subsidies to the countries that make drugs to grow other crops didn't work.... do you have any REAL suggestions? Or do you just want to make snide remarks about people who really care about how these terrible drugs drain America's potential and resources?
And yes chemically and economicaly physiologically, certain drugs are more harmful than others. There is evidence that alcohol is worse than Pot. Some evidence suggests LSD can be used to teart illnesses..... it's all relative. I don't believe our policy should treat all drugs as the same entity. What about prescription drug abuse? there's a big difference between many catagories. While one might be addictive for the rear part of the brain, and require weening to stop, another affects the the frontal lobe and isn't so habit forming.... like I said it's all relative.
But truth be known, I am not a drug user, but have worked treating addicts and studying anti-drug education, and you give bad advice. I prefer to drink Jim Beam when I drive on mountain roads!!! HAHAHA
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