200909241244Yamila Abraham, the publisher of Yaoi Press and a frequently quoted manga industry observer, has been indicted on seven counts of mail fraud, one count of misbranding a drug, one count of introducing goods into domestic commerce by means of false statement and criminal forfeiture for selling “Snurf.” The drug was billed as an “herbal alternative” to street drugs, but actually contained DXM, (dextromethorphan hydrobromide), a stimulant found in over-the-counter cough syrup. Arrested and indicted in Las Vegas, authorities say Abraham sold as many as 20,000 pills via mail order.

Abraham later posted to the Yaoi Press blog saying that while she was not allowed to talk about the ongoing investigation, she wanted to let readers know that Yaoi Press would continue in business:

Please keep a cool head, and have faith. This situation is not going to end Yaoi Press. Don’t believe the hype.

However, Yaoi Press survives on our convention income. A great portion of that income comes from those shows where I make personal guest appearances. You would think that if a show is willing to put the author of the Trach the Tentacle monster stories on their guest-list they aren’t too concerned with her reputation.

[snip] I will be at OtakuMex this weekend. Yes, I really will! You can also meet me at the Hollywood Book Fair on October 4th, then Anime St. George October 10th. I’m seriously looking forward to Yaoi Con October 30th.

There are no cancellations. I will be at these shows. I should have panels at them all. People may ask me about this situation. I probably won’t be able to answer them. I’m hoping for a fast resolution, but the sky started falling over 3 years ago, in 2006! If it’s taken this long to drop I’m not hopeful about this being over with fast.


We’d like to echo what Deb Aoki wrote:

A gentle reminder to readers: This indictment only means that charges were filed against Abraham, and it is not evidence of guilt. She’s innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. As she mentions in her statement, she will be continuing business as usual at Yaoi Press and will be honoring her convention appearance commitments. However, understandably, she will not be able to answer questions about these pending charges at her upcoming appearances.

1 COMMENT

  4. Goddamn. I gotta get me some Snurf!

    Will liquid extacy do?

    This new form of herbal extacy has allowed the overall power of these natural herbs to take on a new level. Now in liquid form the ingredients can be enhanced with more potency and you can get it into your system even faster. The effects will kick in sooner and with more of a rush.

    I’m mostly joking, of course. DXM is a legal substance, obviously, but if a concoction contains it, the packaging has to identify the substance and bear appropriate warnings to be legal.

    SRS