Arrests in Cairns as Customs intercept drug precur

[F420]

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?c=6706

 

A man will appear in Cairns Magistrates Court later this month charged over the attempted importation of liquid Sassafras oil that contains a precursor chemical used in the production of the dangerous drug MDMA (Ecstasy).

 

Customs has charged a 32-year-old man from Yorkeys Knob with importing a marketable quantity of border controlled precursors under the Criminal Code Act 1995.

 

The man is due to face court on 17 February. The maximum penalty for offences of this kind is a fine of $330,000 and/or 15 years imprisonment.

 

The arrest was the culmination of a Customs operation assisted by the Queensland Police Service Far Northern Region Drug Squad and State Drug Investigation Unit 'Illicit Laboratories Investigation Team'. This operation began in Brisbane on 23 January when Customs officers intercepted a parcel from the United States that was listed as containing herbal products.

 

Customs allege that scientific tests carried out on six bottles found inside the parcel identified the contents as containing safrole, a chemical precursor commonly used in the illegal manufacture of the party drug Ecstasy. The bottles contained approximately 700 millilitres of a liquid capable of producing large commercial quantities of the drug.

 

On Wednesday this week (1 February), Customs and QPS officers monitored the delivery of the parcel to an address in Yorkeys Knob, north of Cairns, where they arrested a man.

 

A search warrant was then executed by Customs investigators supported by Queensland Police on a home unit in Yorkeys Knob. Queensland police detected other unrelated drug offences as a result of this search and commenced proceedings against two men for these offences.

 

As a result of a separate interception of a suspect parcel from the United Kingdom by Customs officers on the 25th January that was found to contain 200 grams of the precursor chemical Red Phosphorus, used in the production of the dangerous drug methyl amphetamines, Cairns Drug Squad officers and members of the Illicit Laboratories Investigation Team executed a search warrant on an Emma Close, Mount Sheridan address.

 

As a result of this search police located instructions on the production of amphetamines, a small cannabis hydroponics production and other drug related items. A 25 year old man will appear in the Cairns magistrates Court on 17 February on three charges of producing a dangerous drug, possessing a dangerous drug, possessing things used in the production of a dangerous drug and other associated offences.

 

Customs District Manager for Cairns, Boyd Doherty said today the operations were a warning to anyone attempting to import precursor chemicals for the domestic production of dangerous drugs that they could face serious penalties from both Commonwealth and State legislation.

 

Mr Doherty said that Customs would continue to focus its efforts to detect attempts to import not only illegal drugs but precursor chemicals.

 

"Safrole is perhaps not as well known as other precursors but this substance is no less dangerous as it can be a key ingredient in the clandestine manufacture of drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy)," he said.

 

The Officer in Charge of the Far Northern Regional Drug Squad, Detective Senior Sergeant Mick Dowie says the success of recent changes in legislation restricting the availability of precursor chemicals in Queensland and Australia may have led to domestic producers attempting to source these chemicals via the internet from overseas.

 

"These arrests should send a clear message that this is not a viable option to these offenders."

[raverspec]

Hang on, who the fuck says MDMA is a dangerous drug, and on what basis?

 

 

Arseholes

[Warped]

Adulterated pills pose a danger - but this, as most drug-related threats is mostly due to government policy.

 

This threat is largely decreased with the availability of testing kits, reporting sites (pillreports, ecstasydata, enlighten etc.) and safe practice.

 

Unfortunately harm minimisation is not something the government has as a priority to educate drug users - or potential users - about.

 

Then of course, if pure MDMA was the commonly available form of consumption - well, not only would people be a lot safer, I'd be fucking ecstatic.

Edited February 6, 2006 by Warped

[raverspec]

Well put, Warped.

 

And I don't know what all this nonsense people go on about "adulterated pills". Don't be a cheap arse ($20 pill, hmm...maybe that's a little....too cheap), pay your $30 to a reliable source and the street quality of ecstasy in Australia is excellent.

 

[Pa-uul]

...the dangerous drug MDMA (Ecstasy)…

Raver I agree that ecstasy is not "dangerous". Apparently it's one of the safest drugs around, pure. They use the same word for pot and it's outrageous. But, law enforcement officers are obliged to call it dangerous because they are on the government payroll and it's the official reason for Prohibition: drugs are dangerous to your health and/or behaviour.

[Warped]

For anyone interested in the subject TheDEA.org (no, not that DEA) has a vast amount of information related to research on the neurotoxic debate, supplementing, safe-practice, getting the most out of your roll and general knowledge any user should acquire.

 

The graphical guide to how MDMA interacts with your brain is a very easily digested lesson.

 

PillReports also has a Aus/NZ specific section which is growing steadily.

 

You can order a testing kit from EZ-Test Aus or Enlighten.

 

Remember kids, say no to "ecstasy"! :whistling

 

 

 

 

Happy rollin'

[raverspec]

Warped, if I stare at your avatar much longer, I'm going to have a seizure (.....or go clubbing....) !