Latest news with #Etizolam
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A Mass. man bought an illegal depressant online and took his life. The seller will go to prison
Nearly five years ago, a Bedford man, identified in court documents only as 'K.D.,' purchased an illegal depressant online that ultimately resulted in his suicide. Now, the California man who admittedly sold it to him via an illicit online marketplace he operated will spend 30 months in prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced this week. Paul Z. Lamberty, 62, of Folsom, Calif., pleaded guilty last August to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of the introduction of misbranded drugs with the intent to defraud and mislead. On May 30, Lamberty was sentenced in Boston federal court to prison time followed by three years supervised release for selling etizolam over the internet starting in 2017 and ultimately earning profits of more than half a million dollars. Etizolam is part of a class of drugs chemically related to benzodiazepines (commonly referred to as benzos), which depress the central nervous system. Read more: It was labeled and looked like Adderall. But thousands of pills were meth and caffeine Physicians can prescribe benzodiazepines that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat insomnia and anxiety, but they also carry risks of dependency, toxicity and even fatal overdose, particularly when combined with other central nervous system depressants, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The FDA has not approved etizolam for medical use, and thus it can't be sold or prescribed in the U.S. And yet, it is regularly sold by illegal online marketplaces as a 'designer drug' that mimics the pharmacological effects of controlled substances or prescription drugs, according to court documents. In July 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration temporarily scheduled etizolam as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning the agency deemed the drug an 'imminent hazard to public safety.' According to court documents, Lamberty played a role in operating two websites, and where he sold and shipped etizolam to customers at residential addresses throughout the country, including in Massachusetts. He and his co-conspirator, who is unnamed through court documents, accepted payments via cryptocurrency only, prosecutors said. In July 2020, a customer in Bedford, Massachusetts, died from an overdose of etizolam and miragynine, also known as kratom, autopsy results showed. In its sentencing memorandum, Lamberty's defense stated the man's death was a purposeful overdose and ultimately ruled a suicide because of a note he left behind. Attorney Robert Helfend argued that without the Massachusetts man's 'purposeful actions,' his client would 'not be standing before this Court.' Read more: Mass. lawmakers target pill press machines fueling opioid crisis According to email records, the man had purchased etizolam from Lamberty's websites approximately 15 times between July 2019 and June 2020. Meanwhile, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Dolan wrote that 'K.D.' was a victim 'because of the original sale of the misbranded etizolam by the defendant, not the subsequent overdose.' The heart of the argument, he said, is that etizolam is illegal to sell in the U.S. Lamberty imported the etizolam from suppliers in China. In the U.S., he sold it with false labeling stating the products were 'for research purposes only' and 'not for human consumption,' court documents show. In 2018, Lamberty's business partner sent him an email informing him about a Department of Justice press release referencing an FDA investigation into several individuals charged for selling etizolam over the internet. The warning didn't deter Lamberty, according to prosecutors. Read more: Mass. grandfather's online pain medication search spiraled into an international drug operation Later that year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained a pill press that Lamberty had purchased, presumably so he could produce etizolam tablets himself, court documents said. Based on analysis of bank and cryptocurrency records, prosecutors say Lamberty and his co-conspirator conducted gross sales of more than $550,000 worth of etizolam. 'This was drug dealing by another name, and it led, as drug dealing often does, to foreseeable and devastating results,' the U.S. Attorney's Office wrote in its sentencing memorandum. 'Lamberty knew the risks of selling this unregulated and unapproved designer drug and he should now be held accountable for the profits he made at the expense of victims like K.D.' The defense, seeking probation with home confinement, said Lamberty has accepted responsibility for his crimes, citing no additional criminal history and 'a circle of family and friends that want him to excel and need him.' 'He strives to do better in the future,' his attorney wrote. Judge denies ICE transfer of Milford student out of Mass., meeting with lawyer granted Milford student arrested by ICE has fever, sleeping on floor, attorney says Boston in the running for most walkable city in the country — here's how to vote Rock Hall of Fame inductee cancels 2025 tour 'with deep regret' Boston's Mariel Underground closes to become 'stunning new concept' this fall Read the original article on MassLive.
Glasgow Times
24-04-2025
- Glasgow Times
'Large quantity' of 'drugs' found during Larkhall police raid
At around 7.30pm on Tuesday, April 22, officers acting under warrant entered a house in Glen Avenue in Larkhall. During the raid, cops allegedly recovered a large quantity of pills, which are believed to be Etizolam. According to police, the drugs have an estimated street value of £70,000. 'Drug-making equipment' was also seized during the operation. Following it, two men, aged 34 and 38, were arrested and charged in connection with the alleged recovery. They are due to appear at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Thursday, April 24, 2025. READ MORE: Pair nicked after 'thefts at several properties' in busy area Detective Superintendent Steven Elliott said: "Combatting drugs remains a high priority for us. "This recovery is another example of our continuing work in support of Scotland's Serious and Organised Crime Strategy. "If you have any concerns regarding criminality in your area, please contact us in the assurance that we will act accordingly. "The public continues to have a vital role to play and I would urge anyone with information about drugs to contact us via 101 or make a call anonymously to Crimestoppers.'
BBC News
11-02-2025
- BBC News
Judges cut jail sentence for cocaine plot crime boss Jamie Stevenson
A Scottish gangster who orchestrated a plot to smuggle cocaine worth £100m from South America in boxes of bananas has had his prison sentence cut by almost four years. Jamie "Iceman" Stevenson was given a 20-year jail term after admitting heading up the scheme, which was foiled at Dover in September judges deemed the sentence to be "disproportionate" and cut it to 16 years on pleaded guilty in October to being involved in the supply of cocaine. He also admitted to a plot to flood Scotland with millions of Etizolam tablets, known as street valium, from a factory in was sentenced to 12 years for the cocaine charge and eight years for the street valium offence. Lord Ericht ordered the jail terms to be served consecutively because he believed the offences were "different" to each other. 'Disproportionate' Considering the case at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh, judges Lord Doherty and Lord Matthews concluded Lord Ericht was mistaken to give Stevenson a 20-year Doherty said: "These were very serious offences."However, a sentence of 20 years is disproportionate."The appeal judges agreed with Stevenson's defence lawyer that the two drugs charges were linked, and cited the gangster's admission of guilt. "The plea of guilty resulted in the saving of court time and it saved the inconvenience of witnesses having to come to court to give evidence," Lord Doherty said. "We shall quash the sentence of 20 years and in its place impose a sentence of 16 years and three months." Stevenson, who observed proceedings from prison via video link, started smiling broadly as Lord Doherty announced the court's could be seen giving a thumbs-up sign.
