Posted on 07/01/2008 5:30:46 AM PDT by Abathar
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- An Illinois man was charged with possession of a potentially deadly neurotoxin commonly found in puffer fish after the FBI led a raid at his home Monday.
Edward F. Bachner, 35, of Lake in the Hills, was charged with one count of illegal possession of a toxin, according to a federal complaint filed in U.S. district court. Bachner is listed as the corporate secretary of Rosetta Wireless Corp. in Naperville, in suburban Chicago.
Bachner was arrested after accepting a small amount of tetrodotoxin delivered by an undercover federal official at his home, the FBI said.
Tetrodotoxin is a neurotoxin that in large doses can cause paralysis and death. It's often linked to consumption of puffer fish, a delicacy from the Indian and Pacific oceans that can prove fatal if not prepared properly, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Bachner, using the alias Edmond Backer, attempted to purchase 98 milligrams of tetrodotoxin through the Web site of a New Jersey chemical company, according to the FBI. Bachner claimed he was a doctor working for Illinois-based EB Strategic Research, which does not exist.
The quantity of the toxin requested alarmed an employee at the chemical company, who alerted authorities, the FBI said.
Bachner appeared before a magistrate judge at the federal court in Rockford and is being held without bond until his next court appearance.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Oh crap, I guess that case of oven cleaner in my garage could get me ten years, tack on the other ten years for each of these in my yard:
Castorbean
White Snakeroot
Senecio
Ragwort
Water Hemlock
Poison Hemlock
Cocklebur
Pigweed
Jimsonweed
Johnsongrass
And that doesn't even count the toad stools and other fungus that pop up every spring...
Just how many wives does this guy have?
The radio said it was enough to kill 100 people, since he isn’t a Muslim I am guessing she must have put on a little weight since the wedding...
Puffer Fish is considered good eatin’... if cleaned properly. So it could be your best meal... or it could be your last.
Most of them do....
I just heard that Hillary has rescinded her offer to treat Obama to dinner at that new sushi bar — it seems that the fugu fish is no longer up to her special standards. Whatever that means.
If you’re trying to draw a parallel between toxins that grow naturally and a man who tries to order high levels of concentrated doses that have already been extracted, your logic is pretty pathetic.
Fertilizer (ammonium nitrate) in small doses isn’t such a big deal and has legal uses. But if someone tries to order a thousand pounds of it, they’ll need to explain why.
Or do you also think concentrated cyanide and arsenic should be available at grocery stores?
“Jimsonweed”
A friend of mine got into some of that while clearing brush, wiped the sweat from his eyes and ended up with dilated pupils for a day.
Meanwhile, Atlantic puffers are still known as “chicken of the sea”.
http://drumwagon.com/dw-images/toadfish_medium.WMV
I have both here at my business for heat treating, it doesn't mean that I am going to actually kill someone with it. Did he make a threat? Did he announce he was going to kill someone with it? Possession of something toxic shouldn't get you 10 years.
I can go catch a dozen puffer fish right now out of the Indian River in Florida and have enough poison to kill a room full of people, should I face 10 years in jail if I keep them? I have a gun, does that mean I am going to kill someone with it? Your argument is exactly the same as anyone who wants to ban firearms by the way.
LOL! Gotta wonder if Hilldog baked Obama some of her famous ‘Brownies Foster’ as a ‘reconciliation gift’ for their triumphant meeting at Unity, NH.
Pass the crimson to me, Jimson. -“Transfusion”
Be afraid of insane OCD people with blank checkbooks.
Full thread: After home raid Lake in the Hills man is charged with possessing neurotoxin ...-(IL)
Only four guys are pictured, but those four are making $25-30 dollars an hour with bennies, and their equipment ain't cheap. There's prolly a battalion of police/paramilitary types just out of camera range.
Was the guy breathing a mercury-chlorine atmosphere for comfort in the house? ;-)
Maybe he's a freaking alien. :-)
There is quite a bit of seafood that can prove fatal is not prepared properly (especially when served raw). While this is an "interesting tidbit" it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the concetrated poison the man was attempting to buy.
The focus of this story is misdirected (and the "puffer fish" angle is getting much of the discussion in the media today).
Bachner, using the alias Edmond Backer, attempted to purchase 98 milligrams of tetrodotoxin through the Web site of a New Jersey chemical company, according to the FBI. Bachner claimed he was a doctor working for Illinois-based EB Strategic Research, which does not exist. The quantity of the toxin requested alarmed an employee at the chemical company, who alerted authorities, the FBI said.
This is the big reason for this being newsworthy. Man attempts to buy considerable quantity of known toxin by mail.
Now another question. What is the industrial/medical use of this substance since apparently it was being sold online to qualified buyers?
The FBI needed something to get their botching of the anthrax case off the headlines.
To discuss the fish, “if cleaned properly”. I thought the goal was to include just a bare trace of the toxin to get you a tingle.
I do know that the chefs who serve it require special license (in Japan) and are prohibited from offering it in this country.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
