Ken Hechtman (born December 16, 1967) is a

freelance journalist ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

and convicted

drug dealer A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalati ...

from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

who achieved brief international prominence in late 2001 when

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...

government charged him with being a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

spy while he researched a story for the ''

Montreal Mirror ''Montreal Mirror'' or just ''Mirror'' was a free English language alternative newsweekly based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada which was distributed every Thursday. It had a circulation of 70,000 and reached a quarter of a million readers per week. ...

''. Afghanistan tried, acquitted, and released him after a short time in jail. He attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and was expelled his freshman year for stealing uranium-238 from the university's former

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

laboratories. He married fellow Montrealer and journalist Wendy Hechtman on September 12, 2015. They moved to Nebraska in February 2016.

Criminal charges

According to police investigators, Hechtman and his wife Wendy invented a pastel-colored version of

carfentanil Carfentanil or carfentanyl, sold under the brand name Wildnil, is a very potent opioid analgesic which is used in veterinary medicine to anesthetize large animals such as elephants and rhinoceroses. It is typically administered in this context ...

, an

opioid Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioid use ...

that can be up to 10,000 times more powerful than

morphine Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a pain medication, and is also commonly used recreationally, or to make other illicit opioids. T ...

and that can kill a human with only a few grains touching human skin. Hechtman and Wendy allegedly "developed a sophisticated marketing system with a sales team of about 40 people." Kenneth and Wendy were charged with conspiracy to manufacture 10 grams or more of

fentanyl Fentanyl, also spelled fentanil, is a very potent synthetic opioid used as a pain medication. Together with other drugs, fentanyl is used for anesthesia. It is also used illicitly as a recreational drug, sometimes mixed with heroin, cocain ...

analogue, conspiracy to distribute a fentanyl analogue, and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue between on or about March 2017 and October 30, 2017. They pleaded guilty, and were both sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in 2018.

References

Bibliography

*''Lisa Birnbach's New and Improved College Book'', by

Lisa Birnbach Lisa R. Birnbach is an author best known for co-authoring '' The Official Preppy Handbook'', which spent 38 weeks at number one on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list in 1980. Early life and education Birnbach was born to a Jewish family on ...

(1992) *''Montreal Mirror'', message from the editor, December 2001

External links

*
''Pravda''
report on Hechtman's captivity in Afghanistan. *
CBC
story about Hechtman and the Taliban. * Ken Hechtman's Taliban story for th

*
''Columbia Spectator''
article. *
''Columbia Spectator''
article.
An article by The Blue and White, Columbia University's undergraduate magazine
* Th

25th anniversary tribute to Ken
United States v. Hechtman (8:17-cr-00336)
United States District Court, D. Nebraska {{DEFAULTSORT:Hechtman, Ken 1960s births Living people Canadian journalists Prisoners of the Taliban Canadian people imprisoned abroad Jewish Canadian journalists Columbia College (New York) alumni