Amateur Radio Club Indicted on Ferrite Trafficking Charges

By K5PO, on the scene

Vero Beach, Fla. – Members of the Boca Buena Amateur Radio Club were indicted in a Florida federal court Wednesday on ferrite trafficking charges following a lengthy DEA investigation.

Boxes of confiscated ferrites were on display for reporters after the indictment.

The Soffit Hills DEA office has been following the club’s activities since 2009, when a new ferrite blend called “Mix 31” hit the streets of Vero Beach. “We felt we had a good handle on the old ‘mix 43’ ferrites. The kids around here seemed to have moved onto other things, until these ‘Mix 31’ started showing up,” said DEA Special Agent Romeo Lima. Ferrites have been abused in the radio community for many years, but it wasn’t until the “Mix 31” was introduced that abuse levels began to spiral out of control.

Dr. Milton Salandra, a ferrite addiction specialist, explains the addiction. “Most operators start by seeing a few random ferrites around the house, on things like TV and computer cables, and think they’re innocuous. They’ll often get a ferrite from a friend and install it on a cable to their soundcard used for digital modes. It doesn’t take long for them to be itching for more, putting ferrites on every cable in the shack: coax, audio cables, USB cables, everything. The addition sets in so fast.”

Dr. Salandra said that the “Mix 31” seemed to be especially devastating to the community. “The ‘Mix 31’ works very effectively on the HF spectrum, to which many hams are exceptionally sensitive. They claim it just cures all your RFI ills. It’s such an easy trap to fall into for hams young and old.”

Special Agent Lima said the radio club started by smuggling in just a few ferrites from Freeport, Bahamas, using the club president’s sailboat. “They were initially just feeding their own addition, moving in ferrites to cover the vices of the radio club itself,” said Lima. “But it wasn’t long until they were trafficking enough ‘Mix 31’ to supply the entire southern coast with the illicit ferrites.”

Ferrite trafficking, in quantities of one dozen or more, is a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. The trial is slated for November.

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