Seattle man arrested over NYC 'bath salts' drug ring

A Seattle man has been arrested on a federal warrant out of New York City alleging he led a major distribution ring of the popular drug known as "bath salts."

Miguel Ashby, 26, appeared briefly Tuesday in Seattle before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Alice Theiler, who ordered him held pending a detention hearing on Thursday afternoon, at which time she also will decide when he will be sent to answer the charges in New York.

Ashby is accused of overseeing a drug-distribution ring that was moving millions of dollars of the drug through boutiques, head shops and other stores in Manhattan and Brooklyn, according to charges unsealed Tuesday.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York said an undercover operation run by the Drug Enforcement Administration took $2 million worth of bath salts off the streets.

Nine workers in the stores were also charged.

Details of Ashby's arrest were not immediately available. Ashby has a criminal history in Washington state of mostly minor charges, including assault and criminal trespass.

New York DEA Special Agent in Charge John Gilbride said his agency set up an undercover operation targeting bath salts in February. The agency had been investigating the importation of the drug from China.

The drug sold as bath salts can have dire consequences, according to authorities. The charges allege that the active ingredient in bath salts is chemically similar to Ecstasy, which is a Schedule I narcotic.

Last April, an Army medic stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself after a freeway chase. Their 5-year-old son, Jordan Stewart, was later found dead in the family's home. Tests done on David Stewart, 38, and Kristy Sampels, 38, revealed both had the bath-salts chemical methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) in their bodies when they died.

The drug has been sold legally, misbranded as bath salts, according to the DEA. However, Gilbridge said its only use is as a recreational drug.

According to the DEA, the drug emerged about two years ago and is most often inhaled. Though it has been sold legally, many states — including New York — have banned it, and the federal government has issued warnings about its use.

In Washington state, the Board of Pharmacy issued an emergency 120-day ban on the drugs 10 days after the deaths of Stewart and Sampels, and the process for a permanent prohibition of the drugs and their chemical components is under way, according to a spokesman for the state Department of Health.

Mike Carter: 206-464-3706 or mcarter@seattletimes.com

Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.