Santa Monica Police Department Narcotics Investigators announced that a suspect was arrested for possession of approximately 51,000 pills which they have determined to be Ecstacy.

The street value of the haul is estimated to be over $1,000,000.

In a collaborative effort with the El Monte Police Department and agents from the U. S. Immigration Service and Customs Officials, Santa Monica Police Department Narcotics Investigators announced on March 15, 2009 that a suspect identified as Ramandeep Singh Sandhu was arrested for possession of approximately 51,000 pills which they have determined to be MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine). The street name for MDMA is Ecstacy.

According to reports, police observed a the suspect sitting in a car near Lincoln Boulevard and Broadway Avenue. After detaining the suspect and searching the vehicle police found about 40 pounds of MDMA.

The street value of the haul is estimated to be over $1,000,000.

The 25-year old suspect, Sandhu is a resident of Fremont California. Police believe he is a Canadian citizen. He was booked in Santa Monica on Sunday evening then transferred into the custody of federal authorities on Sunday. Sandhu is facing federal narcotics trafficking charges.

According to http://www.mdma.net/, MDMA, like many illicit drugs, was inadvertently discovered in 1914 while searching for an agent to stop an injured person from bleeding. Although patented, no use was found for it so it disappeared until the 1950's when the CIA investigated its possible use as a brainwashing or mind-control agent. Only small animals were tested. Ironically, if the CIA had tested it on humans, many believe the drug would have been an effective espionage drug if used by skilled interrogators.

Chilean anthropologist and psychiatrist Dr Claudio Navajo was the first to use the drug in psychotherapy. This was followed by "legendary" San Francisco State University chemist Alexander ("Sashay") Shulgin and therapist Leo Zeff. Thousands of psychotherapist in the U.S. soon followed. The drug was not illegal in 1981 and the distribution group in Los Angeles gave it its street name Ecstacy.

By 1983 Ecstacy could be purchased in bars in Dallas and Fort Worth Texas or mail-ordered using an 800 number and a credit card. It was even distributed through multi-level marketing channels. The DEA responded by petitioning to have the drug classified a "schedule one" drug; the most restricted of all drug categories. The DEA argued that it had "no medical use ... and carried a high potential for abuse." The DEA was successful and in 1985 Ecstacy became a banned substance in the United States.

Under a United Nations Agreement, the drug is now illgal worldwide.