{"id":29482,"date":"2018-05-24T15:07:19","date_gmt":"2018-05-24T15:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/05\/24\/airmen-charged-with-protecting-a-us-nuclear-missile-base-busted-for-taking-lsd\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:52:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:52:29","slug":"airmen-charged-with-protecting-a-us-nuclear-missile-base-busted-for-taking-lsd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/05\/24\/airmen-charged-with-protecting-a-us-nuclear-missile-base-busted-for-taking-lsd\/","title":{"rendered":"Airmen charged with protecting a US nuclear missile base busted for taking LSD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 One airman said he felt paranoia. Another marveled at the vibrant colors. A third admitted, \u201cI absolutely just loved altering my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meet service members entrusted with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2016\/03\/18\/14-airmen-at-wyoming-nuke-base-probed-for-drug-use\/\" target=\"\">guarding nuclear missiles<\/a> that are among the most powerful in America\u2019s arsenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Air Force records obtained by The Associated Press show they bought, distributed and used the hallucinogen LSD and other mind-altering illegal drugs as part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2016\/06\/16\/5-added-to-drug-probe-at-air-force-nuclear-base\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">ring that operated undetected for months<\/a> on a highly secure military base in Wyoming. After investigators closed in, one airman deserted to Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAlthough this sounds like something from a movie, it isn\u2019t,\u201d said Capt. Charles Grimsley, the lead prosecutor of one of several courts-martial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A slipup on social media by one airman enabled investigators to crack the drug ring at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/11\/smoking-equipment-at-air-force-missile-center-sends-airmen-to-hospital\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">F.E. Warren Air Force Base<\/a> in March 2016, details of which are reported here for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fourteen airmen were disciplined. Six of them were convicted in courts-martial of LSD use or distribution or both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of the airmen was accused of using drugs on duty. Yet it\u2019s another blow to the reputation of the Air Force\u2019s nuclear missile corps, which is capable of unleashing hell in the form of Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs. The corps has struggled at times with misbehavior, mismanagement and low morale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>\u2018Another black eye\u2019<\/b><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although seen by some as a backwater of the U.S. military, the missile force has returned to the spotlight as President Donald Trump has called for strengthening U.S. nuclear firepower and exchanged threats last year with North Korea. The administration\u2019s nuclear strategy calls for hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending in coming decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The service members accused of involvement in the LSD ring were from the 90th Missile Wing, which operates one-third of the 400 Minuteman 3 missiles that stand \u201con alert\u201d 24\/7 in underground silos scattered across the northern Great Plains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Documents obtained by the AP over the past two years through the Freedom of Information Act tell a sordid tale of off-duty use of LSD, cocaine and other drugs in 2015 and 2016 by airmen who were supposed to be held to strict behavioral standards because of their role in securing the weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s another black eye for the Air Force \u2014 for the ICBM force in particular,\u201d says Stephen Schwartz, an independent consultant and nuclear expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response to AP inquiries, an Air Force spokesman, Lt. Col. Uriah Orland, said the drug activity took place during off-duty hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are multiple checks to ensure airmen who report for duty are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs and are able to execute the mission safely, securely and effectively,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airman 1st Class Tommy Ashworth was among those who used LSD supplied by colleagues with connections to civilian drug dealers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI felt paranoia, panic\u201d for hours after taking a hit of acid, Ashworth said under oath at his court martial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He confessed to using LSD three times while off duty. The first time, in the summer of 2015, shook him up. \u201cI didn\u2019t know if I was going to die that night or not,\u201d he said as a witness at another airman\u2019s drug trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recalling another episode with LSD, he said it felt \u201calmost as if I was going to have like a heart attack or a heat stroke.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airman Basic Kyle Morrison acknowledged at his court-martial that under the influence of LSD he could not have responded if recalled to duty in a nuclear security emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In prosecuting the cases at F.E. Warren, the Air Force asserted that LSD users can experience \u201cprofound effects\u201d from even small amounts. It said common psychological effects include \u201cparanoia, fear and panic, unwanted and overwhelming feelings, unwanted life-changing spiritual experiences, and flashbacks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2014\/12\/22\/air-force-admits-nuke-flaws-but-will-fixes-work\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635548449457526855-nukeflawsjpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Air Force admits nuke flaws, but will fixes work?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Faced with one of its biggest challenges in years \u2014 repairing a troubled nuclear missile corps \u2014 the Air Force has taken an important first step by admitting, after years of denial, that its problems run deep and wide.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s unclear how long before being on duty any of the airmen had taken LSD, which stands for lysergic acid diethylamide. The drug became popularized as \u201cacid\u201d in the 1960s, and views since then have been widely split on its mental health risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although illegal in the U.S., it had been showing up so infrequently in drug tests across the military that in December 2006 the Pentagon eliminated LSD screening from standard drug-testing procedures. An internal Pentagon memo at the time said that over the previous three years only four positive specimens had been identified in 2.1 million specimens screened for LSD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet Air Force investigators found those implicated in the F.E. Warren drug ring used LSD on base and off, at least twice at outdoor gatherings. Some also snorted cocaine and used ecstasy. Civilians joined them in the LSD use, including some who had recently left Air Force service, according to two officials with knowledge of the investigation. The Air Force declined to discuss this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Easy access<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airman 1st Class Nickolos Harris, said to be the leader of the drug ring, testified that he had no trouble getting LSD and other drugs from civilian sources. He pleaded guilty to using and distributing LSD and using ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He acknowledged using LSD eight times and distributing LSD multiple times to fellow airmen at parties in Denver and other locations from spring 2015 to early 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI absolutely just loved altering my mind,\u201d he told the military judge, blaming his decisions to use hallucinogens and other drugs on his addictive personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other airmen testified that it was easy to obtain LSD in a liquid form spread on small tabs of perforated white paper. Airmen ingested at least one tab by placing it on their tongue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In one episode summarized by a military judge at Harris\u2019 court-martial, he and other airmen watched YouTube videos and \u201cthen went longboarding on the streets of Denver while high on LSD.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harris was sentenced to 12 months in jail and other penalties, but under a pretrial agreement he avoided a punitive discharge. The lead prosecutor in that case, Air Force Capt. C. Rhodes Berry, had argued Harris should be locked up for 42 months, including nine months for the \u201caggravating circumstance\u201d of undercutting public trust by using hallucinogens and other drugs on a nuclear weapons base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI cannot think of anything more aggravating than being the ringleader of a drug ring on F.E. Warren Air Force Base,\u201d Berry said at the court-martial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AIR-nuke-LSD-2-web.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-58085\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AIR-nuke-LSD-2-web.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AIR-nuke-LSD-2-web.jpg.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AIR-nuke-LSD-2-web.jpg.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AIR-nuke-LSD-2-web.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &#8211; This May 13, 2005, file photo, shows three types of missiles that flank the main gate of F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo. Inside an Air Force unit entrusted to protect nuclear missiles, a drug ring operated undetected for nearly a year. Documents obtained by The Associated Press reveal at least six airmen were buying, distributing or using the illegal hallucinogen, LSD. (AP Photo\/Robert W. Black, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In all, the AP obtained transcripts of seven courts-martial proceedings, plus related documents. They provide vivid descriptions of LSD trips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m dying!\u201d one airman is quoted as exclaiming, followed by \u201cWhen is this going to end?\u201d during a \u201cbad trip\u201d on LSD in February 2016 at Curt Gowdy State Park, about 20 miles west of Cheyenne, where F.E. Warren is located.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A portion of that episode was video-recorded by one member of the group; a transcript of the audio was included in court records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Others said they enjoyed the drug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMinutes felt like hours, colors seemed more vibrant and clear,\u201d Morrison testified. \u201cIn general, I felt more alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said he had used LSD in high school, which could have disqualified him from Air Force service; he said that his recruiter told him he should lie about it and that lying about prior drug use was \u201cnormal\u201d in the Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At his court-martial, Morrison acknowledged distributing LSD on the missile base in February 2016. A month later, when summoned for questioning by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Morrison confessed and became an informant for the agency, an arrangement the Air Force said yielded legally admissible evidence against 10 other airmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under a pretrial agreement, he agreed to testify against other airmen and avoided a punitive discharge. He was sentenced to five months\u2019 confinement, 15 days of hard labor and loss of $5,200 in pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the airmen involved were members of two related security units at F.E. Warren \u2014 the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron and the 90th Security Forces Squadron. Together, they are responsible for the security and defense of the nuclear weapons there as well as the missile complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By coincidence, the No. 2 Pentagon official at the time, Robert Work, visited F.E. Warren one month before the drug investigation became public. Accompanied by an AP reporter, he watched as airmen of the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron \u2014 whose members at the time included Harris, the accused leader of the drug ring \u2014 demonstrated how they would force their way into and regain control of a captured missile silo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Work, the deputy defense secretary, was there to assess progress in fixing problems in the ICBM force identified by then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who ordered an investigation after the AP reported on personnel, resource, training and leadership problems in 2013-14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those problems included the firing of the general in charge of the entire ICBM force for inappropriate behavior the Air Force said was linked to alcohol abuse. A month later the AP revealed that an unpublished study prepared for the Air Force found \u201cburnout\u201d among nuclear missile launch officers and evidence of broader behavioral problems, including sexual assaults and domestic violence. Air Force officials say the force has since rebounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2017\/10\/31\/americas-nuclear-weapons-will-cost-12-trillion-over-the-next-30-years\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635701352093404866-icbmjpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">America\u2019s nuclear weapons will cost $1.2 trillion over the next 30 years<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The U.S. will need to spend $1.2 trillion over the next 30 years to modernize and maintain its nuclear weapons, according to a new government estimate.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview, Work said he was not aware during his visit that anything was amiss. Nor was he briefed later on the investigation. He said he wouldn\u2019t have expected to be briefed unless the Air Force found that LSD or other illegal drugs were a \u201csystemic problem\u201d for the nuclear force, beyond the security forces group at F.E. Warren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Work said he had never heard of LSD use anywhere in the nuclear workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the inexperienced members of the drug ring, Harris, the ringleader, had set out several \u201crules\u201d for LSD use at a gathering of several airmen in a Cheyenne apartment in late 2015 that was recorded on video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rule No. 1: \u201cNo social media at all.\u201d He added: \u201cNo bad trips. Everybody\u2019s happy right now. Let\u2019s keep it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But social media proved their undoing. In March 2016, one member posted a Snapchat video of himself smoking marijuana, setting Air Force investigators on their trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the investigators closed in, one of the accused, Airman 1st Class Devin Hagarty, grabbed a backpack and cash, text-messaged his mother that he loved her, turned off his cellphone and fled to Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI started panicking,\u201d he told a military judge after giving himself up and being charged with desertion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force said Hagarty was the first convicted deserter from an ICBM base since January 2013. In court, he admitted using LSD four times in 2015-16 and distributing it once, and he said he had deserted with the intention of never returning. He also admitted to using cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana multiple times. He was sentenced to 13 months in a military jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In all, disciplinary action was taken against 14 airmen. In addition, two accused airmen were acquitted at courts martial, and three other suspects were not charged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One airman said he felt paranoia. Another marveled at the vibrant colors. A third admitted, \u201cI absolutely just loved altering my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":58080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":67,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"5":{"categories":["your-army","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","middle-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-army"},"6":{"categories":["your-marine-corps","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","middle-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-marine-corps"},"7":{"categories":["your-navy","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","middle-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-navy"}}},"categories":[101,24,88,89,16,26,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2444],"class_list":["post-29482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"OF2BF6TZ4JBTNAJQ7VOGL7NQHI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/05\/24\/airmen-charged-with-protecting-a-us-nuclear-missile-base-busted-for-taking-lsd\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Airmen charged with protecting a US nuclear missile base busted for taking LSD - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One airman said he felt paranoia. 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