May 17, 2010: Louisville Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing 2CE

Samuel David Mingo, age 22, of Louisville, Kentucky, in Jefferson County, pleaded guilty on May 17, 2010, to distributing 2,5 dimethoxy-4-ethylphenthylamine, or 2CE, United States Attorney David J. Hale of the Western District of Kentucky announced today.

2CE is a synthetic, psychedelic drug that can cause profound hallucinations, and has been compared to LSD. 2CE is currently unscheduled by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and it is not approved for use in the United States by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Mingo admitted that between June 2007 and May 2009, he received 2CE in interstate commerce and distributed it for pay, even though it was mislabeled because its container did not provide directions for use.

The maximum potential penalties for Mingo are 1 year imprisonment, a $1,000 fine, and supervised release for 1 year. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Weiser, and it was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Louisville Metro Police Department.

The plea was entered before Jennifer B. Coffman, Judge, United States District Court, Louisville, Kentucky. Mingo is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Coffman on August 16, 2010, at 2:00 p.m., in Louisville, Kentucky. Co-defendants Sean Gregory Metivier and Sean Porter King, also of Louisville, are scheduled to go to trial beginning June 21, 2010.

Source: FDA Office of Criminal Investigations