The NAPNT Amphetablog

'Ice' blamed for escalating violence

2007-08-22T14:54:00.000+09:30

Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan has warned the rising use of methamphetamines in Western Australia is escalating the level of violence in the community. In the past few months there have been scores of extremely violent assaults across the state, and Commissioner O'Callaghan says many are fuelled by drugs such as methamphetamines, also known as 'ice'. In recent weeks there have several

Man to front court accused of gun, drug offences

2007-08-09T01:46:00.000+09:30

A 40-year-old man is due to face court today in Murwillumbah, in northern New South Wales, after police allegedly found guns and drugs on his property. Police raided a Kyogle Road property yesterday, allegedly finding an underground bunker that housed an elaborate hydroponic cannabis set up. It is also alleged that amphetamines, prohibited weapons, explosives and a large quantity of ammunition

Police dismantle illegal drug lab

2007-08-09T01:42:00.000+09:30

Adelaide police say a two-year-old child has been found inside a Salisbury Downs house where the occupants had allegedly been growing marijuana and making amphetamines. Police have been dismantling an illegal laboratory at the house in Martins Road. They were given a tip off and arrested four people, including the child's parents. Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Shanahan says clandestine

Cannabis linked to use of amphetamines

2007-08-08T04:05:00.000+09:30

Doctors have tracked 2,000 Victorian high school students for 10 years and found those who were smoking cannabis at the age of 15 were as much as 15 times more likely to be using amphetamines in their early 20s. The work, to be published in the August edition of the journal Addiction also dispels the image of ice and speed users as young, wealthy party-goers. "That's something which people have

Australian DJ 'addicted' to cocaine

2007-08-07T01:03:00.000+09:30

Took drugs 'to beat anxiety'Taylor says unknown person gave him cocaineFaces possible 10-year prison sentence AUSTRALIAN musician Nicholas Bernard Taylor had fallen into a full-blown cocaine addiction in an attempt to beat chronic anxiety, physical tremors and Parkinson's disease, a court in Bali heard yesterday. Taylor, 41, was arrested at a party in a private villa in the upmarket

Aussie DJ on trial in Bali

2007-08-07T00:55:00.000+09:30

AN Australian music DJ facing drugs charges in Bali has apologised for using cocaine but says it makes him feel relaxed, comfortable and less anxious. Nick Taylor, 41, from Bangalow in NSW, told a court of three judges yesterday he was addicted to the drug. His girlfriend told the court he had been using cocaine for five years, for "insecurity, nerves" and "shaking" caused by Parkinson's

'Ice' found in marble tables

2007-07-28T16:29:00.000+09:30

Two men have been charged with trying to smuggle 16 kilograms of the drug 'ice' into Australia hidden in two marble tables. Customs officers discovered the drugs more than two weeks ago after two packages from Vancouver in Canada aroused suspicion during a routine X-ray at Sydney Airport. Officials found powdered crystal methamphetamine, or 'ice', inside when they drilled a hole in the marble

Mokbel brother facing more charges

2007-07-20T16:22:00.000+09:30

The brother of gangland identity Tony Mokbel is facing new drug-related charges. Horty Mokbel has appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link from Barwon Prison. The Purana task force has been granted an application to question Horty Mokbel about the alleged supply to himself and his brother, of a large commercial quantity of methylamphetamines and chemical between October last

Israeli man charged over $37m drug haul

2007-04-24T08:08:00.000+09:30

Powder could have made 1.2 million ecstasy pillsPolice tracked movements after substituting drugOne man charged after raids in two statesAN Israeli national has been charged with trying to import the synthetic drug MDMA, with a street value of $37 million, into Australia inside three hot water tanks. About 113kg of MDMA powder, usually found in ecstasy, was discovered inside 172 tennis ball cans

Mokbel brother refused bail on drugs charges

2007-04-23T22:21:00.000+09:30

THE brother of fugitive drug baron Tony Mokbel was refused bail when he appeared in a Melbourne court on drug-trafficking charges todayHorty Mokbel faces five charges, including trafficking a commercial quantity of methylamphetamine. His lawyer, Stephen Shirrefs SC, told Melbourne Magistrates Court that several factors made his client's case exceptional - including a weak crown case, a lack of

Police seize drugs to make Ice

2007-04-07T18:47:00.000+09:30

INDONESIAN police, with assistance from their Australian counterparts, have foiled a shipment of drugs used to make “Ice” which they say could have eventually been destined for Australia. The 336kg of a powder believed to be NorEphidrine could be used to make about 200kg of the drug Ice and would be worth about $A2.8 million. The powder was found secreted in bags of a shipment of shrimp

'Strawberry ice' targeting kids

2007-03-06T19:25:00.000+09:30

This is a transcript of an Australian tv show A Current Affair US drug agencies are warning Australians to brace for a new wave of strawberry-flavoured amphetamines specifically designed to appeal to juvenile taste-buds. The flavoured drug, known as "strawberry ice", has already proved popular with young addicts in the States, according to US drug enforcement agent Sarah Cullen. "During the

New Zealand: Drug gangs said to be exploiting Pacific

2006-09-11T11:13:00.000+09:30

International criminal gangs exploiting New Zealand and Australia's growing hunger for amphetamines are believed to be using unpatrolled Pacific Islands as drug manufacturing hubs. New Zealand and Australia have the highest numbers of amphetamine users per capita in the developed world. Australian Federal Justice Minister Chris Ellison

Australia: Crime gangs producing amphetamines

2006-09-10T10:48:00.000+09:30

International criminals are exploiting Australia's deadly thirst for amphetamines by making drugs on unpatrolled Pacific islands. Federal Justice Minister Chris Ellison said Australia needed to fight the craving for amphetamines and shut down their production in the South Pacific, Fairfax newspapers reported. "I honestly think amphetamines are the biggest challenge we face as a nation," Senator

Australia: Transcript: ice

2006-07-09T12:56:00.000+09:30

This is the transcript of the 60 Minutes television program. Here are the facts. It's more potent, more addictive, more dangerous than heroin. And it's easier to get. It's called ice, speed, crystal meth. But whatever name they give it, this is quite possibly the most destructive drug yet. All the more frightening because it's considered fun, a party drug, aimed squarely at the young. In fact

Australia: Use of party drugs soaring

2006-06-08T18:20:00.000+09:30

DEMAND for amphetamines and ecstasy is skyrocketing, with both domestic production and imports of the illegal drugs rising fast. A joint parliamentary inquiry into amphetamines and other drugs was warned yesterday that Australia would continue to lose the war on drugs while policies kept targeting users instead of suppliers. The inquiry, chaired by Liberal senator Ian Macdonald, heard from law

Australia: CMA announces crystal support groups

2006-06-08T14:37:00.000+09:30

The Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA) group has announced its latest Sydney meeting times and locations. The group is now meeting every Tuesday and Friday evenings, and has put out a call for people experiencing problems with crystal meth use to attend. “Crystal Meth Anonymous is a fellowship for people for whom crystal use has become a problem,” a CMA spokesperson told SX. “We now have two

Australia: Agony behind ecstasy

2006-05-22T15:14:00.000+09:30

AARON'S friend overdosed on drugs and collapsed on the footpath in front of a Fortitude Valley nightclub. There were police officers nearby. Fear stopped Aaron from assisting his mate. "That was the saddest thing, we had to keep walking. We knew he'd be looked after by the police, but I was carrying drugs and I would have been questioned and searched," he says.

Australia: High society

2006-05-21T15:26:00.000+09:30

ILLEGAL drugs including cocaine and ecstasy have penetrated almost every level of society. Once seen as the exclusive domain of young nightclubbers or celebrities, experts warn that so-called "party drugs" are just as likely to be used by the local builder or family accountant. The Sunday Mail this week used accredited police tests to find a cocktail of drugs almost everywhere from restaurants

USA: Flying too high on ecstasy

2006-05-21T12:12:00.000+09:30

NEW YORK: A US military pilot and a master sergeant each face 20 years in prison after pleading guilty yesterday to charges they flew a US air force jet from New York to Germany to pick up 300,000 pills of ecstasy. Captain Franklin Rodriguez, 36, and Master Sergeant John Fong, 37, of the US Air National Guard entered pleas to conspiracy charges in a US court, admitting their roles in the

Australia: Drug capital

2006-05-17T13:17:00.000+09:30

AUSTRALIANS use more ecstasy than any other nationality and are the world's second-heaviest users of amphetamines. A day after experts denounced the use of the term "party drugs" as lessening the impact of illicit substances, the state's top drug police attacked Australia's "culture of acceptance" as driving the disturbing statistics. A federal parliamentary inquiry in Sydney yesterday heard a

Australia: Operation Austrans nets 167 offences

2006-05-16T13:56:00.000+09:30

Victoria Police have charged 12 heavy vehicle drivers with possession of amphetamines as part of an annual interstate traffic operation. Road Safety Task Force Highway Unit officers patrolled Wangaratta and Cobram from May 9 to 13, targeting the activities and behaviour of heavy vehicle drivers. Task Force Sergeant Allan Tickner said Austrans is conducted by the following jurisdictions each

USA: Measure to restore pot penalties approved

2006-05-06T08:39:00.000+09:30

The Alaska House passed legislation Friday night that would restore criminal penalties for marijuana possession and make it tougher to buy the ingredients to manufacture methamphetamine. The bill, approved by a 21-17 vote, was passed by the Senate last month and now goes to Gov. Frank Murkowski to sign into law. Murkowski sought to override a landmark Alaska Supreme Court decision that legalized

Australia: Increasing use of amphetamines alarming: Govt

2006-05-02T17:57:00.000+09:30

The Federal Government says the growing number of Australians using amphetamines is of great concern. The Illicit Drug Data report for 2004/2005 has been compiled by the Australian Crime Commission and covers seizures, arrests, prices and trends. It reveals one in 10 Australians has tried methylamphetamines, and clandestine laboratories are also on the rise. The majority of the drugs are

USA: Addict sentenced amid protest

2006-04-22T11:43:00.000+09:30

A 35-year-old methamphetamine addict was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison Friday as a judge said voters mandated the term when the "three-strikes" ballot measure was enacted in 1994. As emotions erupted around him, Randall Anthony Severdia of Novato was stoic as he heard the ruling by Marin Superior Court Judge Stephen Graham. He briefly looked at a courtroom full of family, friends and