Police netted six suspected drug dealers - including a 13-year-old boy - - in a series of early morning raids. A seventh person, a 31-year-old woman, was also arrested for possession of heroin as teams of officers forced their way into homes around Preston in a co-ordinated swoop codenamed Operation Arrow. The raids were carried out in St Paul's Road in Deepdale, Villers Street in Plungington, and Fishwick Parade as part of a major attempt to smash organised gangs which are blighting neighbourhoods. [continues 467 words]
Children as young as 11 have been referred to specialist drug and alcohol treatment services in Lancashire, according to new figures. Statistics released under the Freedom of Information Act show children in the county are being referred by education and children's services to alcohol and drugs specialists. A referral can mean the child is vulnerable to drug and alcohol misuse through exposure from a parent or other relative, or could have started abusing themselves. Nationally some 366 children aged 12 or under were referred for treatment in 2012/13 in England, according to the most recent figures from Public Health England, compared with 433 in 2011/12. [continues 164 words]
The number of cautions issued for cannabis use in Lancashire has rocketed by 151% in 12 months. Figures released in Westminster show that there were 528 cannabis warnings issued by Lancashire Police in 2007/08 compared to just 210 the previous year. The revelation comes after peers spoke out in the House of Lords to support delaying government plans to upgrade cannabis from Class C to Class B after it was opposed by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. [continues 258 words]
Preston city centre is full of dirty needles left by drug users, the Evening Post can reveal. According to new figures, cleaners have found almost 1,000 'sharps' over the last 18 months - and the city's bus station and market hall are the worst hotspots. They found 863 syringes across the city, with 270 in the indoor market and another 158 in the bus station. But Preston Council bosses insist they are winning the war against junkies, saying needle exchanges saw the amount found decline in recent months. [continues 176 words]
Three teenagers are among those arrested in the biggest police operation in Preston in three years. The youngsters, all 16-year-old boys, were seized as officers smashed drugs dens believed to be peddling Class A drugs, including heroin and crack cocaine. A 24-year-old and a 37-year-old from the Greenlands estate area of Ribbleton were also arrested as part of Tuesday's dawn raids. More than 100 police officers, including drugs sniffer dogs, took part in the raids which they hope will take some of the city's worst dealers off the streets. [continues 392 words]
When cannabis was reclassifed in 2004, many viewed the move as recognition that the drug was far less harmful than others. Indeed, while its current classification means it remains very much illegal, condemnation of perceived "scaremongering" about its potential harmful effects has continued. But those claims are coming under increasing scrutiny against a backdrop of medical evidence which suggests cannabis can actually trigger a number of harmful psychological effects. Another common argument is that use of the drug can lead to much harder narcotics, such as cocaine or heroin. Again that view has its share of critics. [continues 794 words]
More than 120 Lancashire teenagers were referred for cannabis abuse treatment in a year, it has been revealed. The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System figures reveal in 2005-06 126 under-18s in the Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority area were referred for drug treatment in a bid to stop them taking cannabis. Health experts today told of the potential dangers of the drug, while one MP said the figures are further evidence the Government's "experiment" in reclassifying the drug from class B to class C had failed. [continues 253 words]
Cocaine users in Lancashire are at an increased risk of cancer because the drug is being mixed with another dangerous banned substance. The most popular cutting agent in the region is a pain killer called Phenacetin, which has been linked to kidney and liver cancers. The chemical has a similar numbing effect to cocaine, which means it is difficult for people to tell it is impure. Supt Dave Brian, from Lancashire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), said: "The average purity of street cocaine used to be higher. [continues 148 words]
A prison chef who smuggled drugs for inmates, including lifers, has been jailed. Philip Jacubowski maintained in court that he had not received any training on how to combat manipulative inmates while at Wymott. But after he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years at Preston Crown Court a spokesman for the prison refuted this claim. Father-of-two Jacubowski began as an agency chef at the Leyland jail, but was eventually given a full-time post. In March this year a morning spot security check of staff revealed he was carrying heroin with a street value of up to UKP 2,900 -- although it was probably worth twice that in prison. [continues 63 words]
A dog used to guard drugs has been put down after savaging a policeman during a raid. The bull mastiff bit PC Michael Parker on the leg, causing serious tendon injuries, during the incident at Birkdale Drive, Savick, Preston. A week later, the owner Daniel Monk, 21, was jailed for 22 months after pleading guilty to charges unconnected with the raid at his home last month. Monk, who admitted possession of cannabis and cocaine with intent to supply at Preston Crown Court, was branded a "warehouseman" for cocaine with a street value of UKP1,800. [continues 217 words]
A BLACKBURN man trying to alleviate back pain, following an industrial accident, resorted to growing cannabis, a court was told. A court heard how Anthony Aspinall, 51, found buying the drug costly. He then obtained some cannabis plants, which were seized when police searched his home in Gloucester Road. A judge at Preston Crown Court gave him a two-year conditional discharge after he admitted an offence of cultivating cannabis. Miss Amy Nicholson, prosecuting, said police found ten large mature cannabis plants being grown at the address, with the use of a hydroponic system. Miss Judith McCullough, defending, said the drug cultivation had been an "amateur production". A serious industrial accident 11 years ago had caused a chipped vertebrae in his spine. Aspinall received hospital treatment, but the condition grew steadily worse, she said. [end]
The former operational head of Scotland Yard's drug squad today praised a woman who uses cannabis for medicinal purposes for speaking out saying he backs the argument for legalising all drugs. This week, the Evening Post has highlighted the plight of Sybil Lucas-Brewer, of Preston, who relieves her crippling pain with marijuana. The 48-year-old mum spoke out to defend her right to use the "God given herb" and appealed for a change in the law which currently labels people like her as criminals. [continues 407 words]
Mum Sybil Lucas-Brewer openly smokes an illegal drug. She is riddled with pain and suffers a host of illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome and a series of allergies. She says the only way she can ease the pain and make life bearable is to flout the law and smoke marijuana. Sybil is by no means the only one. She knows of a network of people in Preston -- like her from respectable backgrounds -- who, she says, smoke the drug for medicinal reasons. Today she tells her story to the Evening Post about how dope is giving her hope. "I'm breaking the law, but I'm not a criminal." [continues 681 words]
