tagged w/ methamphetamine
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By Eric W. Dolan
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 17:08 EDT
During a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, Drug Enforcement Administrator Michele Leonhart repeatedly refused to admit that anything was more addictive or harmful than marijuana.
Democratic Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado pressed Leonhart on whether illegal drugs like methamphetamine and crack, as well as legal prescription drugs, caused greater harm to public health compared to marijuana. But within a three minute time-span, Leonhart dodged his questions eleven times.
“Is crack worse for a person than marijuana?” Polis, who has called for an end the prohibition on marijuana, asked.
“I believe all illegal drugs are bad,” Leonhart responded.
“Is methamphetamine worse for somebody’s health than marijuana?” Polis continued. “Is heroin worse for somebody’s health than marijuana?”
“Again, all drugs,” Leonhart began to say, only to be cut off by Polis.
“Yes, no, or I don’t know?” Polis said. “If you don’t know this, you can look this up. As the chief administrator for the Drug Enforcement Agency, I’m asking a very straightforward question.”
Leonhart said that heroin was highly addictive, but accused Polis of asking a “subjective” question. After being pressed further, she conceded that heroin was more addictive than marijuana, but added “some people become addicted marijuana and some people become addicted to methamphetamine.”
Leonhart was nominated to be the Deputy Administrator of the DEA by then-President Bush in 2003 and confirmed by the Senate in 2004. She became the acting Administrator of the DEA after the former Administrator, Karen P. Tandy, resigned in 2007. Obama nominated Leonhart to the position in 2010.
Watch video, uploaded to YouTube on June 20...
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/06/20/top-dea-agent-wont-admit-heroin-more-harmful-than-marijuana/
"Sheeesh I hope it wasn't BO that put this Idiot in charge!!! Thanks Jared, another Colorado home grown Hero, for Grilling her empty head!!!!" =))=By Eric W. Dolan
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 17:08 EDT
During a House Judiciary... more
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I was talking to a neighborhood kid who had told me that his mother had busted him after finding a scale and some “Molly” in his bedroom. I felt sort of caught between a rock and a hard spot, thinking I really couldn’t tell him I didn’t think pot was all that bad.I was talking to a neighborhood kid who had told me that his mother had busted him... more
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Clea Myers lost everything after becoming addicted to crystal meth in her twenties.
Middle-class, Ivy League educated (Brown University in the US) and with a career in Hollywood this Brit seems an unlikely candidate to fall prey for what is often described as "the most dangerous drug in the world", but fall she did. She was imprisoned, sanctioned and then finally sent back to the UK by the US courts to try and get clean.
Tonight at 10PM she appears in our brand new documentary "Crystal Meth In The UK" by Sam Butler.
Below she answers some of your questions about what it's really like using and abusing crystal meth.
Who introduced you to crystal meth?A guy I was kind of dating introduced me to it... he lived across the street from me. I found his chaotic craziness 'interesting' - it was much later on that I understood he was a meth addict.Had you taken other drugs before you tried meth?Before crystal I took coke... but meth was what I was willing to throw my life away for. I prefferred crystal because it lasted longer and was cheaper, but the down was much worse. How did you take crystal meth?I snorted it. I smoked it a couple times and it tasted gross. I liked the burning sensation in the nostrils...I tried to inject once with my dealer who was doing it, but he told me I'd be dead within a week so he didn't let me. Was is as addictive as they say it is - one time and you are hooked? There is something so incredibly seductive about crystal meth- maybe because I was very depressed and confused when I first took it I was an instant addict?Was it an expensive habit? Crystal meth cost about $60 gram over in LA -- but that would last a couple days so cheaper than most class a drugs - it's known as 'poor mans coke'. But this is not the case in the UK where it has not taken off in the mainstream (and hopefully it won't!!!) [editor's note: it's about £50/gram in the UK]Meth addicts always look gaunt and clearly unhealthy, with bad skin and that thousand yard stare. When you were taking meth regularly, were you aware of how you looked or to you did you just look healthy? I lost a lot of weight and thought I looked amazing. I think the drug warps self-perception so much that skinny and gaunt becomes 'hot and fit'. But thats how I got caught up in the skinny-weightloss cycle- within a few weeks my boss stared commenting on how much thinner i looked, had more energy etc. So start using more- downwards spiral takes over. Also I was 25 and so young, could get away with it (sleepless nights etc.) I looked awful within about 6 months so it is not overnight. Also I cut myself off from 'normal' people so those I was mixing with all looked similar to myself.Were you first introduced to it in LA and how long were you addicted? Yes I was working in LA and I got hooked there. I took it for about 2 years.How does your overcoming the addiction make you feel about other drugs - do you casually drink/smoke?
I think all addicts have different journeys and you cannot say we are all the same. Some people I know died from crystal meth addiction and a few others quit and have fairly normal lives now. I stopped drugs quite a few years ago now and I didn't drink alcohol for about 5 years, as this was what I was taught to do through the most recognised treatment programs available. I now drink on occasion- moderately- and have a fag from time to time. I try to come from a balanced point of view; however, some other 'recovering addict communities' will definitely not agree with me...I think awareness is key, alongside harm reduction because there are always people out there who push boundaries- and who will only learn through hard-won personal experience...Have you been tested for HIV?Yes I have - I am HIV neg.How long have you been clean and did you ever try but fail to get clean? I have been clean for 10 years. Yes I failed miserably a few times. But I just hadn't had enough of crystal meth - it reached the parts that other drugs couldn't. I had to leave LA because I was seemingly on a self-destruct mission. Once the crystal was out of my body I was crushingly depressed for a couple years, and crushed as a person really. I guess in some ways I kind of bounced back, but then I went kind of loopy when I had early menopause a few years later. What changed things for me was when I started practicing Nichiren Buddhism.
Crystal Meth In The UK, airs 10pm Tuesday 17 May, as part of Drugs Week on Current.
Read more about Clea's book "Tweaking The Dream".
Clea Myers lost everything after becoming addicted to crystal meth in her twenties.... more
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Recently Complete News Updates Ms. Brandi Favre has been arrested in connection with a meth lab bust. The arrest of Vikings quarterback Brett Favre's sister during a drug raid in southern Mississippi isn't the first time she's been in trouble with the law.Recently Complete News Updates Ms. Brandi Favre has been arrested in connection with a... more
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Over the course of four months, Vanguard correspondent and executive producer Adam Yamaguchi was embedded with anti-drug task forces in the US and Mexico. During the shoot, hundreds of millions of dollars worth of narcotics were seized.
When California began marijuana eradication efforts in 1983, authorities seized fewer than 100,000 plants in the state. Last year, they seized more than seven million plants with a total value of $15 billion.
In "Marijuana Wars," Yamaguchi joins an elite task force as they survey and eradicate multi-million dollar marijuana fields run by Mexican drug trafficking organizations.
Cameras follow undercover operatives as they launch an operation to stop marijuana production by taking down the low-level planters, drug transporters and even the drug financiers themselves. The agents explain how the tentacles of Mexican drug cartels are reaching the east coast of the U.S., creating operation and distribution hubs--and bringing the war much closer to home.
"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Mondays at 9/8c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.
For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.Over the course of four months, Vanguard correspondent and executive producer Adam... more
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Lubbock, TX (KCBD) - Levelland police are waiting on lab tests to confirm whether or not Halloween candy given to a four year old was laced with drugs. This investigation is somewhat of a Halloween nightmare for police who are working to figure out how methamphetamines made it into the body of a four year old.
"We were so scared because we didn't know what happened," said Jaime Chavez about what happened to his son.
The four year old was not himself Friday afternoon. Non-responsive and seizing, Levelland police say Jaime's mom rushed her son to the hospital. The Chavez family had no reason to believe their son was high.
"The test came back to show he had meth in his system," said Police Chief Toney Cowan about the investigation.
When Sgt. Ricky Galdino got to the hospital, he didn't expect to learn the four year old was high. "The family is upset. I would be too as a grandparent," said Sgt. Galdino.
At the hospital, Sgt. Galdino learned from Jaime's mom that maybe the meth could have come from candy his sister got during a Halloween festival at school. He immediately contacted Levelland ISD administrators. Jaime's sister did not get sick.
"We notified the school district the possibility some of the candy had meth in it," explained Chief Cowan who said the district was very concerned.
The school district asked parents to bring their kids candy back. Officers went to pick up the candy first thing Monday morning.
The sweet treats parents sent to school are now evidence, waiting to be tested for traces of meth.
"It concerns us. What are we dealing with? One piece or the entire bag?" said the chief who is testing it all to be safe. "We are not 100 percent sure of the parent who sent the candy but we have a pretty good idea."
On his watch, Chief Cowan says he has never dealt with the possibility of drug laced Halloween candy but is determined to find the person who gave the four year old meth.
The department says it could have been worse. There are no reports of any other children testing positive for meth and Jaime is the only incident. Investigators will not know for sure whether or not the candy was laced with drugs until test results come back.
"He's doing real good right now," said Chavez about his son. Jaime went back to the doctor on Monday and got the thumbs up from physicians.
Police don't have any reason to believe, based on their investigation, that the four year old had any access to meth in his home.
The candy will be tested at DPS crime lab in Lubbock.
©2010 KCBD NewsChannel 11. All rights reserved.Lubbock, TX (KCBD) - Levelland police are waiting on lab tests to confirm whether or... more
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Lindsay Lohan Poisoned’ is the keyword that has made fans of Lindsay Lohan crazy to dip the nose inside the matter, ‘Lindsay Lohan Poisoned’ in search engines to make it a hot trend on Google and they have succeeded since it is now a hot trend on Google Trends.Lindsay Lohan Poisoned’ is the keyword that has made fans of Lindsay Lohan crazy... more
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Alex Jones explains why Lindsay Lohan, and by extension millions of Americans are being poisoned with methamphetamine style drugs like Ritalin that cause brain shrinkage, heart problems and a myriad of other disorders. Alex also highlights how SSRI prozac drugs are turning people into psychopaths and leading to a massive increase in suicides and other reckless behavior.
Young girls and even babies are now going into puberty as a result of milk laced with hormones, Bisphenol A and a toxic cocktail of other ingested substances.
Alex also highlights the deadly threat of sodium fluoride and how it causes IQ reduction, bone cancer, and how vaccines are also contributing to a massive and sustained chemical attack on free humanity as the globalists’ eugenics agenda goes into high gear.Alex Jones explains why Lindsay Lohan, and by extension millions of Americans are... more
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LONG BEACH - Long Beach police had a record drug bust Tuesday, with three arrests, after a yearlong investigation into distribution of narcotics in Long Beach.
Detectives were led to two locations, one in Long Beach and one in Compton. A search of both locations yielded drugs with more than $10 million in street value, police said.
According to police reports, 126 pounds of methamphetamine were found at the Long Beach location, near Magnolia and Pacific Coast Highway, and 13 pounds of cocaine were found at the Compton location, near Santa Fe Avenue and Rosecrans Boulevard.
Because the investigation is ongoing, the suspects are being identified only as two Long Beach residents, a 40-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman, and a 46-year-old male resident of Compton.
The Long Beach Police Department encourages the community to call and report drug activity to its Narcotics Hotline, at 562-570-7125. Callers may remain anonymous or leave their contact information if they would like a detective to call them back.LONG BEACH - Long Beach police had a record drug bust Tuesday, with three arrests,... more
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Getting shocked with a Taser while riding high on methamphetamines probably beats any white-knuckled cocaine experience hands down. And that's exactly what happened to some lucky sheep in a new study that tested the effects of Tasers on meth-addled targets.
Funded in part by Taser International, the study aimed to test whether Taser devices have caused heart-related problems or death in meth-addled suspects. So there's at least some scientific reasoning behind all the apparent madness. Growing abuse of methamphetamines has led to arrest-related deaths in situations where law enforcement officers used their Tasers on drug-intoxicated suspects. The latest study was designed to test whether electronic control devices (e.g. Tasers) can lead to dangerous cardiac responses in meth-intoxicated humans, with sheep standing in for people.
The less-lethal device of choice was the Taser X26, a standard law enforcement tool which can fire at suspects from a distance of 35 feet. Researchers shocked sixteen anesthetized sheep after dosing the animals with an IV drip of methamphetamine hydrochloride.
Some of the smaller sheep weighing less than 70.5 pounds suffered exacerbated heart symptoms related to meth use. But neither the smaller nor larger sheep showed signs of the ventricular fibrillation condition, a highly abnormal heart rhythm that can become fatal.
The study that appears in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine openly lists a few caveats. Aside from being partially funded by Taser International, the study authors include two physicians who represent medical consultants and stockholders of the company. One of the two is also the medical director of Taser International.
Still, Taser has an understandable interest in assessing the safety of its less-lethal devices in these types of extreme conditions. Taser devices have evolved into a wide-ranging family that includes Taser shotgun cartridges that fire from a 12-gauge shotgun at up to 100 feet. The company has also teamed up with the Pentagon to develop shock cartridges for a grenade launcher.
Taser has even had its employees put themselves on the firing line to vouch for the safety of its products.
Certainly police would rather have less-lethal options for tricky situations involving meth. We can all probably agree that less Taser use is better, but that they are certainly preferable to more lethal methods of subduing criminals in certain situations. Outraged animal rights activists, however, can begin writing their letters of protest now.
http://io9.com/5516248/in-safety-study-sheep-on-meth-are-shocked-with-tasersGetting shocked with a Taser while riding high on methamphetamines probably beats any... more
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Ben Hoffman sits down with former "Diff'rent Strokes" star Todd Bridges to discuss his new autobiography, "Killing Willis." Topics include Gary Coleman, drug addiction, and a baseball bat up the butt.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, Bryan Safi and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at http://current.com/infomania/ or on Current TV. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at http://facebook.com/infomaniaBen Hoffman sits down with former "Diff'rent Strokes" star Todd Bridges... more
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Tonight, Vanguard premieres The Forest of Ecstasy at 10pm ET/ 10pm PT on Current. Not too long before our trip, I’d bought myself a new digital SLR camera to satisfy my then-newfound passion for still photography. (Some photos below) As I go through the hundreds of photos I took during our trip, I’m reminded of all the moments and experiences my colleague Joanne and I experienced during our trip to Cambodia.
While the ecstasy trade, and its impact on Cambodia’s rainforest was one of the main focuses of our trip, this was just one of many many stories that caught our attention. In her blog entry, Joanne touches upon how the drug trade has overrun the heretofore vulnerable nation – today, mostly in the form of meth.
In the mid-late 70s, Cambodia was run by a genocidal regime, known as the Khmer Rouge. In 1975, the Khmer Rouge took over the country, and declared the beginning of Year Zero – and all cultural institutions and traditions were to be wiped. Essentially, the nation would hit the restart button, and only new revolutionary ideas would hold.
These guys were responsible for killing nearly 1/5 of the nation’s population, wiping out entire classes of intellectuals and professionals, and instituting an entirely socialized, agrarian society.
During the campaign of terror, the country was essentially hermetically sealed off from the rest of the world. This isolation would outlast the regime itself, which was driven from power in 1979. Ongoing violence and instability kept much of the rest of the world from wanting to engage, or do any business in this dangerous country.
Drugs, like many other legal products, are part of international business. Cambodia’s instability proved to be too risky for the drug traffickers, who steered clear. So even though the country sat in a region known for massive flows of drugs, Cambodia was entirely drug free.
In the years since the Khmer Rouge have lost power and melted away, Cambodia has begun to rejoin and re-engage with the world. This has meant increased trade with its neighbors. And now, the drugs are flowing in, in massive amounts.
Drug pushers are finding Cambodia to be rich, fertile ground for the proliferation and sale of drugs. Meth has proven to be particularly viral for this broken population. At the same time, those who are resource-hungry are also finding Cambodia ripe for exploitation. Like the forests full of the ecstasy precursors and the exotic animals deep inside.
Unfortunately for Cambodia, this is what democracy, the ideals of freedom, and trade have brought. Development has been extremely positive for Cambodia, and the nation is far better off than it was under the Khmer Rouge. But did liberty and freedom have to be so costly?
Recently on the Vanguard Blog:
- A Geologist’s Analysis of the War in Afghanistan - Kaj Larsen
- Everything is connected: ecstasy, rainforests, and beyond - Adam Yamaguchi
- Street Hustlers, Militants, and Vanguard’s Mission - Mitch Koss
- Cambodia’s Coming Drug Crisis - Joanne Shen
- Preparing for armageddon in the year 2012 - Adrian BaschukTonight, Vanguard premieres The Forest of Ecstasy at 10pm ET/ 10pm PT on Current. Not... more
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Those of us who have grown up in the U.S. have an ingrained understanding of what a drug is. We know that sometimes drugs can make you feel really good and sometimes they can make you feel really bad. We know that drugs alter your body chemistry, and affect your body and brain functions - for a short time or perhaps forever. Assailed from an early age with public service announcements, school drug education programs, and the diatribes of political candidates, we know about the dangers of addiction to the point at which "This is your brain on drugs" campaigns and "Just Say No" slogans have become the easy butt of jokes.
But Cambodia is starting from scratch. After decades of civil war, genocide and mass starvation, there is still too little understanding of what a drug is, in comparison to the amount of drugs that are quickly becoming available. This summer Adam Yamaguchi and I traveled to Cambodia to produce "Forest of Ecstasy" which will be airing this Wednesday at 10P/9C. In the program, we examine how the global demand for the club drug ecstasy is fueling the destruction of Cambodian rainforest as criminals try to get their hands on locally produced safrole oil, a key ingredient in the drug.
Ecstasy belongs to a category of drugs called Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS), and according to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, global demand for ATS drugs is on the rise and Asia is becoming a hotspot for global production. Cambodia's porous borders and inadequate law enforcement and border controls have made it an easy destination for drug traffickers and producers who manufacture ATS drugs, like ecstasy and meth, to feed the lucrative international trade. Consequently, there's a spillover effect when these illicit drugs pass through the country and locals get their first contact with them.
It's easy to see how local demand for these synthetic drugs could grow furiously. As a country like Cambodia, which was closed off from the rest of the world for decades, enters the fast paced 21st century, its population is increasingly curious about these meds that supposedly make you happier, stronger and more productive. While ecstasy is still too expensive for the average Cambodian, abuse of meth, is quickly becoming prevalent among working-class Cambodians. People like fishermen, truck drivers and agricultural workers, who have to work long, strenuous hours take meth-laced pills known in local slang either as yaba or yama. (It depends who is talking about it. We were told that "yaba" literally means "the pill that makes you crazy" but drug dealers call it "yama" which means "strong like a horse"). These little pills look like colorful, harmless candy and they're pushed onto unsuspecting, uneducated Cambodians as vitamins. In this clip of raw footage, Adam Yamaguchi looks at a handful of this popular form of meth:
Yaba (Video)
Meth in the form of yaba/yama is the gateway drug for many Cambodians. From yaba or yama, they move onto highly addictive crystal meth, which is already the drug of choice amongst Cambodian street kids. Natural curiosity about drugs, the growing available supply of drugs and a population in which more than a third of the population is under the age of 15, are all factors that collectively could lead to a national drug crisis. Time to bust out some catchy anti-drug slogans in Khmer, 'cause we've got a perfect storm brewing.
Recently on the Vanguard Blog:
- Preparing for armageddon in the year 2012 - by Adrian Baschuk
- There's no app for that - San Francisco's tough new trash law - by Tracey Chang
- Sustainable Sushi: Cooking with Vanguard's Christof Putzel - by Christof Putzel
- Mexico's narco war isn't ours - by Mitch Koss
- Celeb Oxy Watch: Sam Jones III of Smallville - by Mariana van ZellerThose of us who have grown up in the U.S. have an ingrained understanding of what a... more
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Ten years ago this week, Laura Ling and I, along with Serena Altschul and producer Pat Lope, started working on a MTV documentary on the methamphetamine business that led, the following year, to the four of us creating the MTV doc series, “Breaking It Down with Serena.” Back in those days, this was a fairly new genre, and viewed a bit skeptically. The previous year, Serena had had to fight hard for the opportunity that she, and Pat, and Laura and I got in October of 1999. And at that point, we were on the spot to prove that what was then a fairly radical approach to journalism based documentary filmmaking would appeal to viewers.
MTV’s “Breaking It Down,” series went on to become one of the two documentary ancestors to Current’s Vanguard documentary series. The other was a series of PBS documentaries, starting in the mid-90s that first Anderson Cooper and I, and then Lisa Ling and I, and finally Laura and I did. Ten years ago, at the mainstream network news level, there was a degree of formula to the film-making. For trying to deviate from the prevailing standard, Anderson and Lisa and Serena were sometimes figures of controversy and consternation. Behind the scenes, people in power would ask me things like “Why do you let him be so informal?” “Why do you let her be in every shot?” “Why do you trust her?” And “why can’t you hold your f***ing camera steady?” To which I would answer something akin to “Well…” and wait for the subject to change. But the actual answer was that Anderson, and Lisa, Serena, and then Laura were radical. They weren’t interested in annoying the mainstream simply for the sake of pissing people off. But they were interested in using whatever new film-making techniques that they could if they thought this would make their journalism stronger and make their documentaries more illuminating and compelling.
In the ten years since, there has been a lot of change in what the mainstream of this business accepts. Serena is at CBS News, Anderson has his own show on CNN, and you can go into your local video store and rent the National Geographic docs that Lisa has made in recent years. And Laura is the vice president in charge of Vanguard, Current’s documentary making department.
Today, I still don’t hold my camera steady, but the approach to film-making that we use in Vanguard is no longer so controversial in the rest of TV. In this week’s premiere episode, The Oxycontin Express, I can’t imagine much criticism coming, say, because Darren Foster chose to shoot an interview without using a tripod. Similarly, Mariana Van Zeller did not have to get in a big fight behind the scenes with anyone here at Current to establish the freedom to ad lib on camera while shooting Oxy. But where we no longer have to fight so much for creative freedom, we still struggle and push ourselves to look for new innovations, for ever-better, ever more compelling and illuminating ways to tell stories that otherwise don’t get told. We really appreciate this opportunity. We hope that you appreciate the result, our new season of Vanguard.
Watch a few episodes of Vanguard:
- Rebels in the Pipeline - Mariana van Zeller reports from Nigeria
- Narco War Next Door - Laura Ling reports from Mexico
- I Heart Global Warming - Adam Yamaguchi reports from GreenlandTen years ago this week, Laura Ling and I, along with Serena Altschul and producer Pat... more
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New legislation and a “sustained focus” on drug-related crime has led to the seizure of millions of dollars in assets and 900 arrests, police say.
Civil forfeiture legislation, introduced in December last year, allowed police to follow money trails left by organised gangs and criminals and focus on the production, sale and use of methamphetamine, police deputy commissioner Rob Pope said.
A total of $36m in assets - including cash, houses, vehicles and other property - was being investigated, he said. About $25m was believed to be gained through drug-related crime.New legislation and a “sustained focus” on drug-related crime has led to... more
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Jakarta Police announced Tuesday it had arrested a suspect for allegedly running a meth lab at a house in the affluent Citra Garden housing complex in Kalideres, West Jakarta.
Police seized 5,000 Ecstasy pills, 200 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and 500 kilograms of generic drug ingredients during the raid. “The seized evidence is valued at around Rp 170 billion (US$18.7 million),” Jakarta Police narcotics unit chief Sr. Comr. Anjan Pramuka Putra told reporters.
According to Anjan, the police raided the two-story house on Monday night after conducting intensive surveillance for almost two months. Anjan said the police had previously tried to catch the suspect, Anthony Widjaja, red-handed through a number of failed undercover stings.Jakarta Police announced Tuesday it had arrested a suspect for allegedly running a... more
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Current investigates the Crystal Meth craze that's gripped the U.S. and asks whether the same could happen in the UK.Current investigates the Crystal Meth craze that's gripped the U.S. and asks... more
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The cartoons most watched and talked about from Season 2. Did your favorite make the cut?
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Engage the kids in your community and use the arts to create an exciting way to educate. The Northern Lights is about methamphetamine specifically, addiction in general and how the US needs to recapture it's innovation through the arts. This project is replicable and we are finishing up a documentary about it. www.taprootinc.comEngage the kids in your community and use the arts to create an exciting way to... more
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Bringing Back the Biker Speed-
Old school meth: Mexican cartels go back to basics -By DAVID W. KOOP, Associated Press Writer
MEXICO CITY – Mexican cartels are increasingly going "old school" to keep supplying America with methamphetamine despite an ingredient squeeze.
Some gangs have responded to a Mexican crackdown on their meth chemical of choice — pseudoephedrine — by reviving a production method so old, it was used by U.S. motorcycle gangs and bathtub chemists in the 1970s and '80s, recent seizures show.
The re-emergence of the "P2P method" demonstrates how frustrating it is to crack down on a synthetic drug that — unlike cocaine, heroin and marijuana — comes from recipes of chemical ingredients, known as "precursors," instead of a plant.
When police succeed in cutting off the supply of one precursor, traffickers move on to or make another.
"Chemical restrictions are like squeezing mud, the stuff just comes out between your fingers," said Steve Preisler, who wrote the "Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture" under the nom de plume Uncle Fester and is considered the father of modern meth-making. "They make life difficult for the smurfers (home producers) but for people with connections, well, they find it to be no problem at all."
Still, authorities contend going after precursors has produced results. The crackdown contributed to a sharp decrease in meth production in Mexico and a drop in availability on U.S. streets in 2007 and in the first half of 2008, according to the U.S. National Drug Intelligence Center's 2009 methamphetamine report.
And authorities say the P2P method is less desirable for the gangs because it reputedly produces a less-potent drug.
But using easy-to-get phenylacetic acid, as well as new sources of contraband pseudoephedrine, Mexico's meth gangs regrouped, and their output was stabilizing or increasing by late 2008, the drug center's assessment said.
The latest turn in the meth fight began in 2005, when Mexican officials started imposing progressively tighter restrictions on imports of the ephedrine and pseudoephedrine used in cartels' meth labs. A near-total ban on medicines containing pseudoephedrine went into effect last year.
Traffickers found ways to smuggle the banned chemical into Mexico, and they moved some manufacturing abroad. They also started looking into new ingredients.
They came across phenyl-2-propanone, or P2P. While P2P itself is highly restricted and closely monitored by authorities, there are many ways to make it. Gangs found they could get their hands on phenylacetic acid, which can be made into P2P, which in turn can be made into meth. They began acquiring phenylacetic acid and its derivatives in huge quantities.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091214/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_mexico_retro_meth
http://static.blogo.it/twowheelsblog/sexy-bikers-gooichi-749-01/big_sexy_bikers_gooichi749_2009_02.jpgBringing Back the Biker Speed-
Old school meth: Mexican cartels go back to basics... more
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