ecstasy trafficking
The illegal trade in MDMA — manufacture, transport and sale under penal law
Ecstasy trafficking is, in international law, the illegal trade in the substance MDMA — commonly known as ecstasy — and covers any form of manufacture, transport, import, export, transfer or sale of the drug. The term is legal in nature and has nothing to do with the emotional meaning of the word "ecstasy"; it describes solely a category of drug crime prosecuted under national and international penal frameworks.
In legal proceedings, authorities assess whether a person has taken an active part in the distribution chain for MDMA — whether the role has been that of producer, intermediary, courier or seller. Even transport over shorter distances, or possession with intent to resell, may qualify as trafficking in the sense of the legislation.
Ecstasy trafficking differs from simple possession through its cross-border and organised character. The drug is typically manufactured in Western Europe and distributed globally through criminal networks, which makes the offence a central concern for international law enforcement bodies such as Europol and the DEA.
In articles about figures such as Sammy "the Bull" Gravano, the term is used in connection with his activities after he cooperated with federal authorities in the case against John Gotti. In 2000 Gravano was arrested in Arizona for running an ecstasy distribution network that sold thousands of pills to young people in the southwestern United States — a case illustrating how organised crime and drug trafficking overlap.
Penalties for ecstasy trafficking are substantial internationally. In the United States, convictions under federal law may result in many years of imprisonment depending on quantity and role in the network. At the international level, the area is regulated among other things by the UN drug conventions, including the 1988 convention against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
