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# Cops bust Ecstasy ring
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/cops-bust-ecstasy-ring/
- Published: 2008-07-02T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T20:01:33.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Suspect faces 20 years in prison*

PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY What started as a few low-level drug busts in Santa Monica and West Los Angeles has led authorities to one of the biggest Ecstasy import rings in the region, authorities said.

Alexandru Sabau, 37, who was taken into custody last week by Santa Monica Police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, faces charges in federal court stemming from his role in a scheme to smuggle Ecstasy into the United States from Canada and exchange it for caches of cocaine.

The charges brought by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California stem from a three-month joint undercover probe, police said.

“This was a major supplier,” said SMPD Lt. Doug Theus, commander of the Office of Special Enforcement. “What happens is we arrest someone and they give us information that leads to another arrest and another and another until it grows bigger and bigger, leading us to a major supplier.”

The arrest “absolutely” puts a dent in the supply of Ecstasy in Santa Monica, Theus said.

Officials with ICE said SMPD officers played a major role in breaking up the ring, going so far as to say that they do not believe the arrest would have been possible without their help.

“We believe this individual was seeking to bring significant quantities of Ecstasy into Southern California from Canada, which he told our informants he intended to use as collateral to obtain caches of cocaine for export back to Canada,” said Robert Schoch, special agent in charge of the ICE office of investigations in Los Angeles.

“These substances no only pose a significant public safety risk, they also generate huge profits that are often funneled back into other types of illegal activity,” Schoch said. “That is why ICE determined to attack and dismantle these kinds of criminal schemes.”

Sabau was arrested near his Newport Beach apartment after he arrived for a roadside meeting with an informant to finalize a deal to trade approximately 100,000 Ecstasy tablets for 25 kilograms of cocaine, authorities said. When Sabau flashed the drugs, officers moved in for the arrest.

The pills, which typically retail for $20 a tablet, would have brought as much as $2 million on the street.

Following the arrest agents searched Sabau’s residence and discovered a small amount of cocaine and approximately $14,000 in cash.

Sabau is being held without bail until a July 8 hearing. His arraignment is set for July 21\. If convicted, Sabau faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Authorities said the investigation into the drug trafficking scheme is still ongoing.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/070208-01_01.jpg)

ICE HUGE SUPPLY: Agents with the U.S. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 2, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/070208.pdf?ref=smdp.com)