My roommate in college was following the Dead around the "Touch of Grey" time and began dealing acid. The government took their time and put together a huge case against everyone involved. They left him on the street for a year after he was arrested so he could inform on everyone he ever knew.

He was a writer and kept a detailed address book of everyone he'd made friends with over the years. He went through that book and turned in everyone associated with drugs in anyway. He was facing life in prison but, after testifying against someone far higher up in the organization, he received 6 years in Club Fed.

Once he was out, he traveled the world and eventually died in Thailand. Tourists in the part of the world who cause trouble often die from "sudden heart attacks".

Wish I could find more information about it.

https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1994/rt0394/940328/03280070.htm

This article has an interesting line.

DEA records show that average sentences for people carrying $1,500 worth of LSD is 10.1 years

Apparently, the DEA was using the entire weight of the acid sheet to determine sentencing instead of the actual amount of LSD. My roommate did appeal that but to no avail.

Some more details about the larger case..

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/05/06/californian-charged-with-heading-national-lsd-ring-tied-to-va-cases/19fcdb45-d24a-49bf-9c9f-6e10d6a999ce/