ALBANY, NEW YORK - Damon J. Murray, age 28, of Albany, was sentenced today to 51 months in prison and 6 years of supervised release for importing the controlled substance ethylone into the United States.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and James Spero, Special Agent in Charge for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Ethylone, which is often used as a party drug, has been a controlled substance since March 2014.
On Feb. 12, 2015, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers in Cincinnati, Ohio, intercepted a package that had been sent from China to the United States, and which was addressed to “Damon Murray LLC" at the defendant’s residential address in Albany. The package was found to contain about 400 grams of ethylone. On Feb. 26, 2015, the defendant accepted and signed for the package. HSI Special Agents then arrested the defendant, who admitted ordering the ethylone from China and also previously selling ethylone to others, sometimes marketing it as “molly."
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Albany County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
