Ephedrine Drug

The three young entrepreneurs met their contacts outside a Wal-Mart here and drove off with them, apparently convinced that they would be celebrating a lucrative new deal. But authorities believe it was a set-up, linked to Mexican mobsters bent on reshaping the global drug trafficking map. The three men were handcuffed, forced to kneel in the mud and sprayed with bullets; their bodies were dumped in a ditch.

Federal police Monday uncovered 4 tons of ephedrine in oil drums and boxes to be sent to Mexico and the United States. The lead investigator called it the largest illegal shipment of the methamphetamine ingredient seized in Argentina and said it was worth millions of dollars. The ephedrine, imported from India and China, was discovered with the help of U.S. and Interpol agents who have advised police investigating a group of Argentines and Mexican traffickers, Commissioner Miguel Castro said.

Three Northwestern University football teammates of the late Rashidi Wheeler were identified in a court hearing Monday as those whose lockers contained supplements banned by the NCAA. Defending a wrongful death suit brought by Wheeler's family, Northwestern attorney Eric Quandt said running back Kevin Lawrence, linebacker Billy Silva and guard Matt Ulrich had the ephedrine-containing product Ultimate Orange in their lockers on Aug.

An over-the-counter dietary supplement containing the stimulant ephedrine was probably a contributing factor in the death of Baltimore Oriole pitching prospect Steve Bechler, a coroner said Tuesday. Bechler had been taking three capsules each morning of Xenadrine RFA-1, a weight-loss drug that contains ephedrine, which has been linked to heatstroke and heart trouble, Broward County (Fla.) medical examiner Joshua Perper said.

Food and Drug Administration investigators are looking into the death of Baltimore Oriole pitcher Steve Bechler as they try to decide how dangerous the herbal stimulant ephedra might be and whether to ban it, the FDA's chief said Wednesday. Ephedra may prove particularly risky for athletes, and settling the long-simmering controversy about the herb's safety is a high priority, FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan said in an interview with Associated Press.

Yes, Tim Salmon says, it is scary what happened to Steve Bechler, a 23-year-old Baltimore Oriole pitcher who died Monday at spring training. Yes, Kevin Appier says, it is worrisome that Bechler apparently was taking Xenadrine, a weight-loss product containing ephedra. No, David Eckstein says, he would never, ever take a drug or supplement unless it was prescribed by a doctor. His father is waiting for a liver transplant. Eckstein's family has been hounded by liver disease. So Eckstein gets it.

In the first dozen days of the XIV Pan American Games, more than 7,000 athletes from 42 nations competing in 38 events have produced two positive test results, both for over-the-counter substances. U.S. sprinter Mickey Grimes, gold medalist in the 100 meters, tested positive for the stimulant ephedrine, a banned substance, the Pan American Sports Organization announced Wednesday.