Seizure of Hallucinogenic Tea Causes a Stir

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Dec. 8 -- A hallucinogenic tea called hoasca that is used by members of a Brazil-based religious group has become the focus of a legal battle in New Mexico.

Adherents of O Centro Espírita Beneficiente Uniao do Vegetal, or UDV (Portuguese for "union of the plants"), say the herbal brew of two plants is a central sacrament in their religious practice, which is a blend of Christian beliefs and traditions rooted in the Amazon basin.

Jeffrey Bronfman, whose family owns a substantial interest in Seagram Co. Ltd., is president of the church in the United States. He contends federal authorities are unconstitutionally denying UDV members the right to practice their religion. Bronfman and other church members sued on Nov. 21 on behalf of UDV-USA in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, and this week said they will seek a preliminary injunction.

The U.S. Attorney's Office, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment Thursday on the civil suit or any criminal investigation. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Paula Burnett said the government's answer in the civil suit will be filed by Jan. 21 and she could not offer details beyond that.

U.S. Customs agents seized a barrel of the tea shipped to Bronfman's Santa Fe home a year and a half ago. Statements in a search warrant for Bronfman's home say Customs believes Bronfman and UDV tried to illegally bring a controlled substance into the country. Analysis of the "brown liquid" by a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chemist concluded it contained DMT (dimethyltryptamine), "a powerful hallucinogen that may be taken orally in liquid form" and has no commercial uses.

Bronfman's directions to shipping companies say the tea, made from plants known as Mariri and Chacrona, is for use by the religious organization, which has been practicing in the United States for the past 10 years and now has about 8,000 members worldwide.

"The tea imported has no commercial value and will not be sold. It will be used only by members of the social religious organization as a health supplement," the search warrant quotes Bronfman's shipping letter as saying.

No criminal charges have been filed since the May 1999 seizure, although the civil lawsuit says that remains under consideration. Federal officials have refused to return the hoasca. Fearful that it would be destroyed, UDV members--through their lawyers Nancy Hollander and John Boyd--have sought return of the tea and said they can't practice their faith without it.

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