Boulder – Raids on Ecstasy labs are unusual in the metro area, but the hallucinogenic drug can still be readily found and poses great danger to users, police said Tuesday after busting a lab in Boulder.
“What’s really surprising is kids think it is absolutely harmless, but it’s based on methamphetamine, and we know how destructive that can be to someone’s life,” said Cmdr. Tim Hersee of the North Metro Task Force.
The quantity of chemicals removed from the house Tuesday would be enough to make between 50,000 and 80,000 tabs of Ecstasy, said Boulder police spokeswoman Julie Brooks. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent John Cohen said the retail street price ranges between $15 and $20 per tab, which at the high end would put the lab’s output potential at $1.6 million.
“It’s the first confirmed Ecstasy lab I’ve seen in the 4 1/2 years on this job,” said Cmdr. Stephen Prentup, head of the Boulder County Drug Task Force. “We’ve seen lots of labs, but usually they can manufacture methamphetamine, Ecstasy and a variety of drugs.”
He called it “a sophisticated lab.”
Officers raided the small, nondescript ranch-style house at 720 S. 46th St. at 6:20 a.m., arresting a couple who lived there.
Police identified the suspects as Debra Cerio, 41, and Carl Dubois, 29. They were held on suspicion of manufacturing a controlled substance, possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, and conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance, all felony charges.
They also face a possible sentence- enhancing charge of operating a lab within 1,000 feet of a school. The property backs up to Summit Middle School.
No one contacted in the neighborhood said they knew the couple. Kerry Taner, 29, who rents a house across the street, said he saw people come and go from the house but not at a volume that was noticeable.
“I’m not shocked,” he said about having an Ecstasy lab across the street from his home. “This is Boulder; it’s CU. People like to party here.”
Police spokeswoman Brooks wasn’t shocked either.
“Labs like these can be found almost anywhere. They can be operated by almost anyone,” Brooks said.
She said that the lab presented no hazardous risks to neighbors and that there was no risk of explosions, unlike with methamphetamine labs.
DEA agent Cohen said Ecstasy is still popular in schools, even middle schools.
Incoming sixth-grade students at Summit attended school Monday for orientation, said Briggs Gamblin, a spokesman for the Boulder Valley School District.
School for all students starts today. The school prepared a letter to send to the parents of students at the charter school.
“Obviously we are always vigilant about drugs,” Gamblin said. “We are always pleased when these sorts of operations get shut down.”
Staff writer Mike McPhee can be reached at 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com.
