Death, overdoses tied to drug ‘Europa’

BLAINE, Minn. – After nearly a dozen teenagers overdosed and one died from taking a hallucinogen at a house party, investigators determined the substance was a version of a banned rave-party drug that can be purchased online.

Authorities on Friday arrested a 21-year-old man suspected of providing the drug – called 2C-E or “Europa” – to the teens. He was being held on suspicion of third-degree murder.

The dead youth was identified as Trevor Vance Robinson, 19, of Coon Rapids, Minn. He was one of 11 people ranging in age from 16 to 21 who fell ill late Wednesday in this Minneapolis suburb.

When the first officers arrived at a home in Blaine, they found a group of young people who were having trouble breathing, and some appeared to be hallucinating.

“They weren’t necessarily in the right time or place,” police Capt. Kerry Fenner said. “They probably weren’t in real time.”

By the time more officers arrived, most of the partygoers had either fled or been taken to hospitals. Many of them were found around the neighborhood, police said.

By Friday, most of the 10 survivors had been released from hospitals.

The drug they took falls into a family known as phenethlyamines – hallucinogens with similar chemical structures. They have effects comparable to much better known “club drugs” such as Ecstasy.