Toxin Arrest

LAKE IN THE HILLS, Ill. (AP) - A suburban Chicago man is in
federal custody, accused of possessing a poison that the government
says is 1,200 times deadlier than cyanide.
Authorities say it's not clear why Edward Bachner wanted the 98
grams of tetrodotoxin ordered from a New Jersey chemical company.
Tetrodotoxin is found in puffer fish, and the Food and Drug
Administration says it can "produce rapid and violent death."
Bachner used an alias and claimed he was a doctor. He ordered so
much of the toxin that a chemical company employee got suspicious
and tipped off the FBI. Bachner was arrested Monday when he tried
to pick up the toxin.
Puffer fish, called fugu in Japan, is eaten by thrill-seeking
gourmets once the poison is removed.


(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)