Pubdate: Mon, 29 Oct 2001
Source: Courier-Mail, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2001 News Limited
Contact:  http://www.thecouriermail.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/98
Author: Mark Ludlow

POLICE CHIEF FEARS NEW WAVE OF 'CRAZY DRUGS'

LAW enforcement agencies have to change tactics to stop Australia being 
swamped by a new wave of amphetamines from Asia, the nation's top police 
officer has warned.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said a massive increase 
in amphetamine seizures was a sign of things to come.

He said Australia was about to be hit by a new generation of amphetamines, 
including variations of speed and ecstasy. And it would soon be Australia's 
No. 1 drug problem.

Mr Keelty said despite recent seizures of the drug in Australia (one tonne 
in the past 18 months) it was more difficult to fight than heroin or other 
drugs that had to be cultivated.

"Unless we can do something at the source for these drugs we are absolutely 
going to be inundated with them in Australia," Mr Keelty said.

Amphetamines had quickly become the illegal drug of choice, especially for 
young people, during the heroin drought, he said.

Methamphetamine, the main ingredient of ecstasy, was easier to make and 
transport than heroin.

Most of Australia's methamphetamine was still produced domestically. But 
there was a surge in imports from Asia.

Drug lords in the Golden Triangle (Burma, Laos and Thailand) had turned to 
amphetamine production after a crackdown on opium.

"The law enforcement effort has to alter its focus to deal with a much more 
mobile and resilient drug product," Mr Keelty said.

He said the base plant for amphetamines grew wild throughout China, 
Thailand and Burma.

And the end product -- known as "the crazy drug" in Asia because of the way 
it altered behaviour -- had already claimed 29 million addicts worldwide.

"It's so important to continue to run programs for drug education and harm 
minimisation to reduce the uptake rates of the drug," he said.

The AFP annual report for 2000-2001 showed a reduction in heroin and 
cocaine seizures, matched by a big jump in seizures of amphetamines and 
MDMA (ecstasy).

Of the 1572kg of drugs seized in Australia last year amphetamines, 
including MDMA, made up 477kg, up 106 per cent on the previous year. This 
was followed by cocaine (450kg), cannabis (268kg), heroin (249kg), and 
hallucinogens (3kg).

Parcel post and air couriers were the most common ways to deliver the drug, 
the AFP said.

South-East Asian countries were also being used as transhipment points for 
drugs coming here from Europe.

Mr Keelty said increased co-operation between the AFP and law enforcement 
agencies in Asia had to continue to stop the flow of drugs to Australia.

"We need to be working at the point of source or supply, but also back here 
in Australia with demand reduction and harm minimisation," he said.

"That's extraordinarily important and never in our history has that been 
more important than now."

Mr Keelty has also warned that new intelligence showed recently arrived 
asylum seekers were becoming involved in people smuggling.

The refugees, who had been granted visas or were awaiting an outcome, were 
working with ringleaders based in Asia.