Crossword Genius

Master caught with Ecstasy and Spice (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mace

'spice' is the definition.
(mace is a kind of spice)

'master caught with ecstasy' is the wordplay.
'master' becomes 'ma'.
'caught' becomes 'c' (cricket abbreviation).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'ecstasy' becomes 'e' (informal term for the drug).
'ma'+'c'+'e'='MACE'

'and' is the link.

(Other definitions for mace that I've seen before include "Came to get ancient weapon" , "Came to get nutmeg spice" , "Came to get ceremonial staff" , "Spice from the nutmeg seed" , "Spice; ceremonial baton" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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