DENVER -- The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration announced indictments and arrests Thursday in a major ecstasy distribution ring that operated in Colorado for at least a year.

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Watch Details Of The DEA Bust See What Father Says About Son's Ecstasy-Related Death

Asa Hutchinson (pictured, left) said that the suspects in Colorado and California flooded communities along Colorado's Front Range with Ecstasy and other so-called "club drugs" like the animal tranquilizer ketamine, as well as LSD, methaphetamine and marijuana.

The latest investigation, called "Operation Green Clover," resulted in the arrest of 55 suspects and uncovered drug use on military installations in Colorado Springs, Hutchinson said. The military has seen a recent increase in substance abuse, including high-profile cases involving ecstasy and other "designer drugs."

The investigation began after a Colorado State Patrol trooper made an arrest last August outside Colorado Springs and found suspected ecstasy pills.

The investigation resulted in arrests of cadets at the Air Force Academy and airmen at Peterson and Schriever Air Force bases and the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, all in Colorado Springs. Those arrests, some of which resulted in courts martial, were separate from the indictments announced Thursday.

An airman at Peterson Air Force Base was sentenced in June to five years in prison on 10 counts of using and distributing ecstasy, LSD, marijuana and other drugs.

Six Air Force Academy cadets have been court-martialed on drug charges in the last year, and more cases are under investigation.

Nearly three dozen people were indicted earlier this month in a year-long investigation into the sale of the so-called club drug popular at rave dance parties, Hutchinson said.

"Two major drug distribution organizations have been dismantled and a third severely disrupted by these arrests," he told reporters. "Ecstasy is the number one drug problem among youths in urban areas. It has become their drug of choice."

Use of the drug led to the deaths of at least two young Coloradans this year. Brittney Chambers swallowed ecstasy at her 16th birthday party in January, lapsed into a coma and died six days later. In March, Jared Snyder stood naked in the middle of Interstate 70, and was hit by a car.

"Our children need to know that taking ecstasy is like playing Russian roulette with their life," Hutchinson told reporters. "It is a dangerous choice for young people to make."

Along with the 55 arrests, officers in California and Colorado seized 85,000 Ecstasy tablets, 2.5 kilograms of cocaine, 320 pounds of marijuana, 5 pounds of methaphetamine, 40,000 doses of LSD, $1.36 million in cash, 13 vehicles and 36 weapons, said Bob Castillo, head of the DEA office in Denver.

The suspects have addresses ranging from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs to California, officials said. Additional arrests were possible.

"A large portion of the arrests were in Colorado," Hutchinson told reporters Thursday.

John D. Sposit, 26, of Lakewood, was identified in one indictment as the "organizer, supervisor or manager" of the drug ring, according to a published report, and was named in 23 counts.

One count alleges he and Megan M. Schey, 24, and Shawn Sweeney, 20, both of Fort Collins, distributed ecstasy around Jan. 20 and Jan. 27, and that death or serious bodily injury resulted from that act.

Brittney Chambers' 16th birthday party at her mother's home in Boulder County was Jan. 27. Chambers' death was attributed to "water intoxication", caused by the effects of ecstasy (technically known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine).

Also known as hyponatremia, drinking excessive amounts of water can dilute the blood, cause abnormally low concentrations of sodium ions in the blood, leading to swelling of the brain. That swelling can lead to grave consequences, including coma and death, according to her autopsy report.

Hutchinson mentioned Chambers by name and confirmed that the drug she was given was part of a wider-ranging federal investigation that had been ongoing since last year.

"As Brittney's friends and family can tell us, ecstasy is an agony," Hutchinson said.

Ecstasy, also known a MDMA, is popular at dance clubs and "raves," all-night parties. It typically induces feelings of euphoria and dramatically raises blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature.

Police are still searching for 11 suspects. Those people include Alexander S. Rector, Will Lancaster, Justin C. Lynes, Liana R. Parisi (aka Liana Wettlaufer), Nathan W. Burress, Lisa Rainey, Tony "G" LNU, Elijah D. Williams, Jason M. Price, Jimmy D. Graham and Bradley A. Benham.

Those under arrest include: Chad Kelly, Mark Merton (aka Mark Williams), Cory Hynes, Stanley Cory Jackson, Douglas Fritchell, Shawn Sweeney, Toby Khamvongsa,Candi Vastlik, Christie Sloan, Seng Deuane Vongkham, Peter Tiamzon, Daniel Chum, Loretta Lim, Bradley Benham, Kerbin Sharp, Donovan Garcia, Cory Rogers, Reynaldo Mendoza, Ryan Krueger, Anthony Grant, Joseph Wadnick, John Sposit, Daniel McDermott, Frank Edmonds, Vladislav Radosavljvic, Megan Schey, and Shawn Hartnett.

Additional Resources:

• Asa Hutchinson Biography
• DEA Ecstasy Links