World: Jamaica battles UK drugs ‘mules’ – January 2002 Jamaica battles UK drugs 'mules'
By BBC News - Friday, 4 January, 2002
Copyright: BBC News
Jamaica has acknowledged the problems of drug trafficking into the UK and called for an international effort to tackle the problem.
The Jamaican High Commissioner in London, David Muirhead, responded after it was alleged that dozens of passengers on some flights to London from Kingston were drug mules.
The UK's Deputy High Commissioner in Jamaica, Phil Sinkinson, said reports that one in 10 passengers were smugglers could even be an underestimation.
Mr Muirhead said talks were taking place with the UK Government to install new equipment to detect drugs on flights to Britain - and detection equipment was already being installed at Jamaica's two airports.
"The Government of Jamaica recognises the serious problem of drug trafficking and has placed great emphasis upon and resources into tackling it," Mr Muirhead said in a statement.
"However drug trafficking is a problem of international proportions and must be dealt with through international co-operation in a comprehensive and integrated manner."
He pointed out that Jamaica itself did not produce cocaine, but the country was concerned at the "transhipment" of the drug through the island.
Mr Sinkinson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that most of the smugglers "come from areas of pretty desperate poverty".
Victims
The problem has been blamed on the worsening economic situation on the Caribbean island.
"The risks are quite high but in real terms the rewards for the couriers are equally high," he said.
Jamaica's narcotics police have reportedly agreed and High Commission spokeswoman Mags Fenner reportedly told the Jamaica Observer newspaper that two recent incidents where dozens of Jamaicans were arrested on arrival in the UK were "completely average".
Jamaican drug mules are reportedly paid between £2,000 (J$130,400) and £5,000 (J$335,000) for each trip.
A survey last year had reportedly shown that 65% of all drugs in the UK had come from Jamaica.
On 17 December 22 Jamaicans were charged with attempting to smuggle a Class A drug after disembarking from an Air Jamaica flight to Heathrow.
Five days earlier, 16 Jamaicans were arrested on suspicion of swallowing cocaine packages after arriving in Gatwick on a British Airways flight.
Expendable
Lord Harris of the Metropolitan Police Authority told Today that the statistics suggested by Mr Sinkinson "were frankly unknowable".
He added that it was important to remember that many of the smugglers, most of whom were women, were also victims.
"As far as the drug barons are concerned, the women who do this are totally expendable - that's the really dreadful part of this trade," he said.
According to the narcotics police, the number of drug mules has increased substantially over the past few years and it is not just Jamaicans who are involved.
The number of UK nationals imprisoned on drugs charges in Jamaica has risen from 20 in 1999 to 150 currently.
The BBC spoke to Jamaican women at Cookham Wood Prison in Kent, who had been caught smuggling drugs into the UK.
Some said they were forced to carry the narcotics, while others said poverty drove them to it.
Nearly all were single mothers, desperate for money.
One woman said she was told to swallow more than 160 condoms filled with cocaine, but gave up at 90.
Explaining what brought her to smuggle drugs, another woman said: "I have five kids and they need to go to school.
"Their father is in America and he sends no money. The only way to help them was to come to Britain with the drugs and get some money."
She said she had asked the people who gave her the drugs about the danger of being caught and sent to prison but had been told not to worry.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
World: Clinton defends drugs war – January 2002 Clinton defends drugs war
By BBC News - Thursday, 31 August, 2000
Copyright: BBC News
Speaking during a brief visit to the Colombian city of Cartagena, Mr Clinton said the US was not going to get into a "shooting war" and that the people of Colombia had suffered enough.
Washington has pledged to provide $1.3bn, mainly in military aid, to help fight the drug barons.
Security around Mr Clinton's entourage is tight, and three people were arrested in Cartagena in possession of bomb-making equipment.
Elsewhere, one policeman was killed during clashes between the security forces and students opposed to the visit.
Mr Clinton said the drive against illegal drugs could not be separated from the quest to end almost four decades of civil conflict in Colombia.
"I reject the idea that we must choose between supporting peace and fighting drugs... for the sake of our children and our grandchildren, we can't afford to let this fail," he said.
Mr Clinton also rejected suggestions that US military aid could draw the US into another Vietnam.
"There won't be American involvement in a shooting war, because they don't want it and because we don't want it," he said.
Colombian President Andres Pastrana said the presence of Mr Clinton on Colombian soil was a sign of solidarity and that Colombia was "no longer isolated in our struggle".
Clashes
Thousands of workers and students marched on the US embassy in Bogota where they threw rocks at police and burned effigies of Mr Clinton and Mr Pastrana.
"Clinton's visit is to give money so that Colombians will keep killing each other in the name of the Americans, and we believe Colombians should not accept this," said union leader Wilson Borja.
In a protest at Bogota's National University on Wednesday, students clashed with security forces in violence that killed an 18-year-old policeman and left three injured.
Left-wing rebels have carried out a series of attacks in protest at his visit - the first by a US president in a decade.
Drug war
Some 5,000 police and hundreds of US agents sealed off Cartagena to ensure Mr Clinton's safety in one of the world's most dangerous countries.
Colombia is the source of some 80% of the world's supply of cocaine.
The rebels and other left-wing groups see the US money as part of a plan for increased US military assistance against guerrillas threatening the Colombian Government.
On Tuesday night, the biggest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) launched a series of attacks across the country, which left two police officers and three civilians dead.
Another group - the ELN - said it would attack oil installations in protest at the president's visit.
Correspondents say the guerrillas are becoming increasingly involved with the lucrative drugs trade.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
World: Learning from Portugal’s drug dilemmas – November 2001 Learning from Portugal's drug dilemmas
By BBC News - Friday, 23 November, 2001
Copyright: BBC News
In Portugal, since July 1, the possession or use of any type of drugs - hard or soft - has no longer been a crime, although dealing remains a criminal offence.
Consuming drugs is still illegal, but anyone caught with up to 10 daily doses of any drug for their own use is not arrested, does not appear before a court, and cannot go to jail.
Instead they are taken to a police station where their details are noted and they are served a notice to attend a hearing at one of 18 specially created regional commissions.
From there they may be sent for treatment if they are addicted, they may be fined, or they may be let off with a warning.
Clinics and jails
Vitalino Canas, the cabinet office minister who steered the legislation through parliament and is now supervising its implementation, says he would not be surprised if other EU member states followed Portugal's example.
"I think this system is one that is becoming more natural in Europe," he said. "Most of us are more and more aware that the solution for drug users is not jail, but offering some other opportunity.
"Jail is not a clinic - it's not the right place to solve drug addiction."
Those involved in implementing the new system are pleased with the results, although they say it is too early to judge whether it will have a major impact on consumption.
"Instead of punishing an addict, we think he is a victim and we try to convince him and his family to opt for treatment," says Elisabete Azevedo, chair of the drug commission in Faro, one of two for the Algarve region.
Decriminalising addicts
But opponents of the law say it sends all the wrong signals.
"The fact that this was considered a crime was very important as a deterrent for young people," said Joao Cesar Neves, a university professor who was active in the campaign against the law.
"They knew it wasn't acceptable. Now it is seen as normal."
But for people who work with addicts, the main advantage of the new law is that addicts - whom they see as sick - are no longer treated as criminals just for feeding their habit.
"Sometimes in the past drug addicts went to jail because they were carrying a small amount of heroin for their own use," said Dr. Alvaro Pereira, director of the support centre for drug addicts in Olhao, in the Algarve. "But they're patients - they need this drug for their welfare."
Since the law came in, there have even been cases of addicts giving themselves up to the police, after hearing about friends' experience of the commission.
Tourist traffic
What has not materialised is "drug tourism" of the kind predicted by the law's more vocal critics, who warned of foreigners flocking to Portugal to take advantage of the more liberal laws.
Government officials point out that anyone caught in possession of drugs would at the very least have their holiday ruined, as they could be required to appear before the commission repeatedly.
They would also be reported to the authorities back home, and if caught twice, almost certainly fined.
Even more seriously, any would-be drug tourist caught with more than the specified limits still runs the risk of going to jail.
The law is clear about limits above which possession is still a crime, with one daily dose being very tightly defined, according to drug experts.
There is also anecdotal evidence that the police are casting their net wider since the law came in.
Where officers might once have turned a blind eye to a student spliff or ecstasy use at a club, now they may pounce because they know that users will be dealt with the one of the new commissions, not the courts.
Senior police officers seem relaxed about the new law.
"Police officers are normally conservative," says Jose Ferreira Leite, head of the crime squad's anti-drugs unit.
"But there isn't such a great gap between the law and previous practice.
"Before the law, there was only one person in jail in Portugal who was arrested for drug consumption rather than for a drug-related crime."
"Shooting rooms"
Drug use in Portugal is below the EU average, but it has increased sharply in recent years.
That - plus the prevalence of health problems among injecting drug users in Portugal - was a major spur for the current experiment.
There is general agreement that these health problems got so bad because the drug problem was allowed to fester.
After neglecting it for so long, the government seems determined to forge ahead with an innovative approach, although it rejects outright liberalisation.
It has refused to set up so-called "shooting rooms" where addicts can inject under controlled conditions.
Although a recent law does provide for these, it is up to local authorities or voluntary organisations to create them.
The government's critics say it is seeking to avoid the political fallout from shooting rooms, while gleaning the political benefits of being seen to do something about the issue.
Government officials counter that in all European countries that have tried this experiment, the implementation aspect was left to local authorities.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
UK: ‘Legalise drugs’ says ex-police chief – October 2001 'Legalise drugs' says ex-police chief
By BBC News - Wednesday, 17 October, 2001
Copyright: BBC News
A former senior police officer has said he wants heroin legalised in a bid to reduce street crime in Wales.
Ex-Gwent Police chief constable Francis Wilkinson said he wants Wales to follow the model in Switzerland and make heroin available on prescription for hardened addicts.
He said it would be safer for addicts, would reduce street crime carried out in order to feed habits and would eventually reduce the number of heroin addicts.
He gives his views to BBC Wales current affairs series Week In, Week Out which is to broadcast on BBC One Wales on Wednesday.
The views could prove controversial amongst many who have suffered at the hands of heroin.
Currently, users cannot guarantee the quality of the drug, which is illegal in the UK.
Drug risks
They run the risk of an overdose, poisoning or HIV infection through dirty needles.
Long-term users may suffer from collapsed veins and breathing difficulties.
But doctors can prescribe to addicts methadone, which works in the same way as the drug but has a limited euphoric reaction.
The dosage of the substitute is lowered over time in order to wean a user off the drug.
However, in 1997, Department of Health figures show that methadone was responsible for the deaths of 421 people.
Addicts have created a vast methadone black market by selling on their doses for as little as £2.
Legalised schemes
Week In, Week Out has been to the Cynon Valley in south Wales to witness the devastation caused to addicts, their families and the wider community by heroin.
It has also visited Switzerland to look at a programme under which addicts can legally inject heroin in clinics under the supervision of nurses in order to live a normal life.
In May 2001, Sydney in Australia opened its first legal heroin injecting room - dubbed a "shooting gallery" by addicts - to where users can bring their equipment and inject the drug under medical supervision in a booth.
Mr Wilkinson has support in Gwent for legalisation of drugs.
Newport West MP Paul Flynn is a well-known supporter of the decriminalisation of cannabis.
And the former police chief's call comes as Cardiff Central MP Jon Owen Jones is due to put a private member's bill before the Commons on the legalisation of cannabis.
The former Welsh Health Minister, who has confessed to smoking cannabis, is unlikely to succeed in his bid to legalise the drug.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
UK: Britain’s first CANNABIS Coffee shop opens – September 2001 Britain's first Cannabis Coffee shop opens
by UKCIA
Britains first Amsterdam style coffee shop opened on the 15th September 2001 in Oldham, Manchester.
News of the event broke on the UKCIA mailing list, the activist list that passes information:
"Just heard from cc-news that the opening of the planned Dutch-style coffeeshop in Stockport has been stopped by police. Colin Davies and three Dutch citizens have been arrested and are presently banged up by the police. Meanwhile there is a crowd of about 100 outside smoking pipes, joints and bongs. This, of course, comes as little surprise to anyone! Good luck to them all"
Sat, 15 Sep 2001
Subject: [UKCIA] UK: UK cannabis cafe manager is arrested
From: shug
Source: Ananova
The manager of Britain's first Amsterdam-style cafe which aims to sell cannabis has reportedly been arrested shortly after the business opened.
A scuffle broke out at the entrance of the cafe when a plain clothed detective revealed to cafe owner Colin Davies that he was inside. Police had warned Mr Davies that The Dutch Experience, based in the centre of Stockport, Greater Manchester, would be shut down if it was found to be breaking the law.
Mr Davies came out of his business just after opening demanding that the police officer showed him a warrant. A uniformed officer outside the shop was involved in an altercation with Mr Davies, who was trapped in the door. Mr Davies came out to greet a woman in a wheelchair and pushed her back into the shop saying: "She is a sick woman and needs cannabis to relieve her pain." The scuffle continued and Mr Davies was seen inside the cafe slumped on the floor.
At 10.15am he was led away by two female plain clothed detectives amid shouts from his supporters. As Mr Davies was put into the back of a police van, one of his supporters shouted: "He's a healer not a dealer." A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said: "A man has been arrested for the possession of cannabis with intent to supply. A search of the premises will now be conducted."
Police officers arrived in greater numbers at about 10.30am and entered the cafe where they carried out a search of every person there. Several people were arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis and as they were led away a crowd of supporters outside cheered. Supporters of Mr Davies began smoking cannabis outside the cafe as the police watched. The wheelchair users lit pipes filled with the drug as police officers stood just two yards away.
http://www.ukcia.org/
UK: Cannabis man arrested at cafe opening – September 2001 Cannabis man arrested at cafe opening
By BBC News - Saturday, 15 September, 2001
Copyright: BBC News
A drugs campaigner has been arrested after attempting to open the UK's first Amsterdam-style marijuana cafe.
Colin Davies, who has called for legalisation of the drug for medicinal purposes, was taken away by two plain clothes detectives from his cafe in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
The arrest came just minutes after he had opened the doors of "The Dutch Experience", a cafe modelled on the coffee shops of Amsterdam.
A scuffle broke out shortly after 1000 BST on Saturday between Mr Davies and members of Greater Manchester Police, which had promised to rigorously enforce the law regarding cannabis.
Disabled users
Fifteen minutes later he was led away amidst shouts from his supporters, one who cried: "He's a healer not a dealer."
A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said: "A man has been arrested for the possession of cannabis with intent to supply."
More police officers arrived at 1030 BST and entered the cafe where they carried out a search of everybody there.
Supporters of Mr Davies began smoking cannabis outside the cafe as the police watched.
Wheelchair users lit pipes filled with the drug as police officers stood yards away.
'Undignified experience'
Later a police spokesman said six people in total had been arrested at the cafe.
They said three Dutch men, a Dutch woman and two UK male resident had been arrested on suspicion of being concerned with the supply of controlled drugs.
Kate Bradley, a former policewoman with West Midlands Police, has smoked cannabis since 1991 after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Mrs Bradley, of Telford, Shropshire, was not arrested and was pushed in her wheelchair out of the cafe.
She said that when the police raided the premises it was an "undignified and horrendous experience".
Mr Davies founded the Medical Marijuana Co-operative to help fellow pain sufferers by providing them with cannabis.
Broken spine
He said he was forced to use the drug out of medical necessity and supplied it to two sufferers of multiple sclerosis for the same reason.
Mr Davies, who lives in Stockport, had flagged up the cafe as "the UK's first Medipot Coffee Shop".
He said the cafe had facilities to accommodate disabled visitors who used the drug for pain relief.
Mr Davies' father, 71-year-old Colin Davies, said his son smoked the drug to relieve his pain since he broke his spine in a 70-feet fall down a riverbank four years ago.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
World: Australia makes $1bn drugs swoop – August 2001 Australia makes $1bn drugs swoop
By BBC News - Friday, 24 August, 2001
Copyright: BBC News
Police in the Australian city of Melbourne have seized a massive haul of a chemical which they say could be used to make an ecstasy-like drug with a street value of $1bn (A$2bn).
Officers discovered more than 500kg of ephedrine - a chemical often used to make methamphetamine or speed - hidden in what appeared to be an abandoned shipping container.
Eight people were arrested as officers raided houses and properties across the city on Friday, the climax of a 10-month long investigation, Operation Kayak.
More than 30 people have now been arrested during the operation, and police say they are confident that they have netted Australia's major ecstasy traders.
Police Commander Rod Lambert told reporters: "Obviously we believe we have some very, very significant players and we would like to think that this is going to have a very significant effect."
Mr Lambert said an amount of what he described as commercial quantities of amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy was also seized.
Drug warning
The seizure far exceeds Australia's previous record haul of ecstasy-related drugs.
In April, about half-a-million ecstasy tablets were discovered hidden inside a shipment of pineapples aboard a Chinese cargo ship.
In December 2000, police in Sydney seized 105kg of ecstasy.
Last month, police dug up one tonne of cocaine buried on a remote beach in Western Australia's
On its own, ephedrine is a legal stimulant often used to provide short-term energy boosts to enhance athletic performance, helping people exercise longer and feel more alert.
It is found in some cold and hayfever remedies and dietary supplements.
Ephedrine is on the list of substances banned by international athletic federations.
It has been linked with increased likelihood of heart attack, paranoia, depression and stroke.
The BBC's Red Harrison says police are warning that there could now be a drought of cocaine, hashish, ecstasy and amphetamines in Melbourne, and are urging drug users to be extremely wary of what might be offered on the streets to replace the confiscated drugs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
UK: Police officers are ‘regularly taking ECSTASY and CANNABIS’ – July 2001 Police officers are 'regularly taking ecstasy and cannabis'
The Independent - 17 July 2001
Copyright: The Independent
A subculture of drug use permeates sections of the British police force, according to new research by a criminologist and a former chief superintendent. The researchers found that some young officers, up to the rank of inspector, were regularly taking ecstasy and cannabis. Several officers also held "seminars" with their dealers, telling them what to say if they were arrested and where to stash their supply if raided.
Reports of the drug abuse among members of the British police service come at a time when there have been renewed calls for the decriminalisation of cannabis. David Wilson, Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Central England, Birmingham, spent two years gaining the trust of officers from several forces.
He said: "It was a startling result. From talking to a variety of police officers from a variety of forces I found that there was a very strong subculture of drug taking." But he argued: "When you consider how many 20-year-olds take drugs it is not surprisingly that some of the people who join the police are also drug users. What was surprising was the willingness of some police officers to give their suppliers mini-seminars about how to avoid detection and what to do when arrested."
Professor Wilson added that some officers also arranged weekends to Amsterdam to consume drugs and were heavily involved in the rave scene while off duty. The findings are contained in a forthcoming book, called What Everyone In Britain Should Know About the Police, which has been co-written with Douglas Sharp, course director of the Criminal Justice and Policing degree at UCE, who is a former chief superintendent of West Midlands Police.
The authors believe that police are "doomed to failure" if they concentrate on rebranding themselves as crime-fighters and "mini Robo Cops". Professor Wilson said: "They need to actively engage in gaining the support of the public within the communities they serve." Fred Broughton, chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, disputed the new research. "It is our experience that police officers in England and Wales are law-abiding professionals intent on tackling the drugs menace, not adding to it," he said.
http://www.independent.co.uk/
UK: ECSTASY driver jailed after fatal crash – June 2001 Ecstasy driver jailed after fatal crash
BBC News - Friday, 15 June, 2001
Copyright: BBC News
A driver who fell asleep at the wheel and crashed, causing the deaths of four young people, has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in a young offenders' institute. Charlotte Frankham, 20, had slept for only four hours of the previous 42 having taken ecstasy at an all-night rave. Returning home on 18 June last year, she lost control of her Ford KA, causing the fatal three-car pile-up, a court was told. Frankham, of Totton, Southampton, Hampshire, admitted four charges of causing death by dangerous driving.
Four other charges of careless driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, mainly ecstasy, were ordered to lie on file. Victoria Hart, 22, Alistair Knight, 26, Perry Cook, 25, and Paul Larcombe, 27, all from Swindon in Wiltshire, died when their VW Polo was hit by a Toyota Land Cruiser that had collided with Frankham's car. Frankham was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday to two-and-a-half years for causing the death of each person. The sentences were to run concurrently. She was also banned from driving for five years.
All-night rave
The crash happened at 0910BST on the A43 near Cottisford, Oxfordshire, as Frankham returned from the all-night Gatecrasher Festival at Turweston Park, Buckinghamshire. Peter Nightingale, prosecuting, said Frankham, who was 18 at the time of the accident, had spent the night dancing and drinking water. "She did admit in interviews taking one ecstasy tablet at about midnight, the affects of which may be expected to last two to three hours," he said.
The court was told that Frankham left the dance party at 0830BST with three friends to return to Southampton. In police interviews following the tragedy she admitted to having been tired and dozy. Eyewitnesses reported seeing her car veering across lanes on the A43 shortly before her car collided with the Toyota travelling in the opposite direction.
Remorse
Mr Nightingale told the court there was no cause for the accident "other than the defendant falling asleep at the wheel". Nigel Daly, defending, said Frankham knew she was responsible for the four deaths and for the suffering of their parents and friends. "She would like me to express to them how profoundly remorseful she is for causing them so much suffering," he said.
Sentencing Frankham, Mr Justice Leveson told her: "You had taken an ecstasy tablet and the prosecution has accepted that the affects had worn off but you later told police the effects would have worn you out - nevertheless you embarked on a long journey."
Warning to ravers
After the hearing, the parents of crash victim Victoria Hart said her family and friends had been devastated by the crash. "The only hope we now have is that this tragedy should be a warning to anyone going to Gatecrashers this weekend to stop and think before they drive, especially if they have had little or no sleep, been drinking or taken drugs."
"We would not want any other families to suffer like us."
Glenys Larcombe, whose son Paul died in the crash, said: "The sentence was far too light and although we don't feel any personal animosity to the defendant, the sentence should have sent a warning out about the dangers of driving after being up all night."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
World: Dutch coffee shops close up – May 2001 Dutch coffee shops
By RNW.nl - May 2001
Copyright: RNW.nl
Nick deals in soft drugs. He works in The Grasshopper - one of Amsterdam's most famous ‘coffee shops'. A stone's throw from Central Station, on the edge of the red light district, it attracts an international crowd. Mostly tourists, looking to sample a little of what the city has to offer, preferably within stumbling distance of their hotel.
He's nervous about talking to me. This may be Amsterdam, but people in the ‘coffee shop' industry don't like to draw too much attention to themselves. After a drink and a cigarette, Nick begins to relax. "Basically I sell the grass and the hash here," he tells me. He's been in The Netherlands for 21 years, but his accent gives away that originally he's from Manchester. How did he end up working in The Grasshopper? "I just walked in and asked the boss if they needed someone for the job." He gives me a wry smile and adds, "actually, I always wanted to be a lawyer."
No Rest:
It seems a hedonistic lifestyle doesn't allow for lying in bed. Nick's day starts early. The doors open at 8 in the morning. "I had it so bad one time, quarter to eight they were waiting there already, trying to get in." He'll sell you nine different types of weed, and nine types of hash. "All the weed we sell are locally grown, all the hash is imported. We've got some from Morocco. A couple from India."
He's also happy to give you help and advice. "People ask me questions all the time. One of the biggest questions is ‘what's the difference between weed and hash?' I tell them, weed is more of a happy kind of high. Hash is more of a stony kind of effect."
Rules of the House:
I'm curious to know where the supplies of drugs come from. Nick is giving nothing away. "Basically, I arrive in the morning and it's fully stocked up." I press him a little more. He changes the subject. So instead we talk about the rules the coffee shop must follow if it wants to remain open and licensed.
The maximum stock allowed on the premises is 500g. "You can't go over that - not one gram." No-one under the age of 18 is allowed in the coffee shop, and this is enforced by checking ID. No alcohol is sold. And definitely no hard drugs. Nick tells me they have regular inspections from the police. "At any given moment they could drop in, and at least five times a year." But he is keen to stress that they have very good relations with the police "because we stick to the rules".
Not All Bad:
No surprises that Nick is a regular cannabis smoker himself. Perhaps more surprising is that he has asthma. "You've heard the expression ‘a joint a day keeps the doctor away?', well it works for me too. Since I started smoking weed, I've been taking less medicine."
So what does he think about the way he earns a living? "I love my job. For one it's original. OK, people might think ‘woah - he's dealing drugs'. But I only see positive things."
And what about his future? He says he plans to stay in the coffee shop business at least for the next few years. "I'm having a swell time over here." And what about his dreams of becoming a lawyer? "I'm keeping my hopes up."
http://www.rnw.nl/
World: Milosevic police ‘stashed drugs’ – March 2001 Milosevic police 'stashed drugs'
By BBC News - Saturday, 10 March, 2001
Copyright: BBC News
Serbia's interior minister has accused former President Slobodan Milosevic's secret police of hoarding illicit drugs and carrying out illegal surveillance of two public figures who were later murdered.
Minister Dusan Mihajlovic told reporters the drugs, worth almost $30m, had been found in a bank vault belonging to the police service.
The drugs - including 600kg of heroin and smaller amounts of cocaine, marijuana and other substances, had never been registered by the police or reported to a court as required by law.
He added four officers were being questioned by a judge and could face prosecution for spying on public figures and tapping their phones.
The four are said to be close associates of Rade Markovic, the former secret police chief currently under arrest in connection with an alleged attempt to murder opposition politician Vuk Draskovic in 1999. He has denied the allegations.
Confession
One of the public figures the officers are accused of spying on is Mr Draskovic.
Others include the journalist and Milosevic critic, Slavko Curuvija, who was murdered in April 1999, and the Serbian warlord Arkan, killed in January 2000.
The interior minister said evidence of the illegal surveillance and phone tapping had been destroyed, but the four officers had confessed and there were many witnesses to their illicit activities.
Mr Markovic would also be charged for illegal surveillance he said.
Reformers who ousted President Milosevic in October last year have long accused the state security service of ordering politically motivated killings and was involved with the criminal underworld.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
World: On the Rio beat – March 2001 On the Rio beat
By BBC News - Friday, 11 May, 2001
Copyright: BBC News
Rio de Janeiro is, after Johannesburg, the most violent city in the world. On average, seven civilians and two policemen are killed every week. But one man is trying to change things. Sue LLoyd-Roberts reports on Major Antonio Carballo's quest to introduce community policing in areas where he and his men must put their lives at risk every day.
The police have a shoot-to-kill" policy in the shantytowns or favelas, where armed drug traffickers - the so-called men on the hill - rule the local people with terror.
To add to the already violent mayhem, many policemen collude in drugs and guns trafficking. Corruption and routine violence are part of the Rio beat.
Major Antonio Carballo is on a mission to change all this. He wants to introduce the bobby on the beat - community policing - to Rio de Janeiro. The initiative is called the GPAE - the Special Areas Policing Group - and has been introduced into one favela, Cantogallo, which overlooks the wealthy, tourist area of Rio.
If it works, the plan is to introduce the GPAE to all 500 favelas in the city.
Carballo has to persuade policemen who have been brought up to believe that their job is to protect the elite from the masses, that the masses themselves are worthy of protection. He has to persuade them that taking a cut from the drug traffickers is not the way for city employees to supplement their income.
The major says that Rio has been scarred by crime, drugs and death for too long and that the police must take the necessary risks to clear the favelas of the violent men on the hill if the city is to survive.
Family destroyed
The people of the favelas also want change.
Julia, the mother of four sons, has seen her family destroyed by the rule of drugs and guns on the hill. Two sons have met with violent deaths and two have been involved in drug trafficking.
Speaking in the tiny shack which is home to her two surviving sons, one widowed daughter-in-law and various children, she said: "I don't want to live here anymore, but where can we go?"
Her son, Carlos, who, even after leaving jail and the drugs trade, was blackmailed and threatened by the police, said: "Even though I have escaped the traffickers, I am still a prisoner on the hillside."
The people of the favelas, who live without sufficient schools, hospitals and job opportunities, resent being automatically demonised as criminals by the rest of the city. Carballo calls a meeting to bring the people of the favelas together with the middle classes who live below, 'on the asphalt'.
He asks for integration between the two communities and even business initiatives, but is met with a stony-faced response from the people who live in the smart apartment blocks on the asphalt.
Dressed in their designer denims and shades and sitting apart from the people of the favelas, their appearance and body language spell out their disinterest in social or economic reform. They want more old style policing to protect them from the bullets which threaten their homes.
Cynical about reform
It would appear that many in the new GPAE police force are similarly cynical about reform. Carballo has only been given 100 men out of a police force of 33,000 to complete the project. Already, almost half of them have been transferred or arrested for having a 'bad attitude; - the euphemism for corruption and brutality.
The project cannot succeed unless the armed men on the hill are removed. But when patrols go into the favelas, hunting for known traffickers, they often fail because a traitor within the patrol itself has tipped off the suspects.
Carballo is aware that he does not stand a chance unless he can get rid of those he calls "criminals dressed as police officers".
But perhaps Carballo was never meant to succeed? In the face of international criticism, Brazil needs to be seen to be doing something about police violence and corruption.
Could it be that Carballo has been cynically set up as a public relations exercise? The city government even organises tours for local diplomats to witness him at work.
The city's Minister for Security, Jose Quintal, denies that the GPAE project is mere window dressing. He claims that what they are doing in Rio will "revolutionise police forces around the world".
No-go areas
But the idea of extending Carballo's revolution into all the favelas of Rio is clearly impractical.
There are still favelas which are no-go areas and the Correspondent team witnessed a violent shootout between police and traffickers in one of them, where the idea of introducing community policing would be a suicidal waste of time.
There is no doubt that Major Carballo is an honest, committed man, but pitted against the cynicism, corruption and violence endemic in Rio today, his dream of reform may be hopeless.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
World: The Netherlands – Narcostate or role model? – March 2001 The Netherlands - Narcostate or role model?
By RNW.nl - March 2001
Copyright: RNW.nl
For nearly a quarter of a century, liberal drug laws have been in force in The Netherlands. Personal use of cannabis has been decriminalised and hard drug addicts are treated as patients rather than criminals. The object of this policy is to minimise harm to drug users and to society as a whole.
It is a pragmatic policy, tacitly accepting that drugs are part of society and that any "War on Drugs" won't make them go away. That does not mean that drug dealers have an easy life in The Netherlands, because importing, selling, producing and/or possessing either hard or soft drugs is still an offence under Dutch law. But prosecuting drug takers is not a priority for the Dutch judicial system, whereas putting drug dealers behind bars is.
Outrageous:
All this is rather difficult to explain to the outside world. To many, the Dutch policy of turning a blind eye to such technically illegal practices seems outrageous. And there is a popular misconception that drugs have been legalised in The Netherlands and that everything is allowed. That could never be the case, of course, as The Netherlands is party to several UN Conventions and to European treaties on drugs.
So what does the Dutch lenient drug policy actually entail and does it work? Advocates of the Dutch way claim that in The Netherlands the number of drug users is lower than in most other European countries and certainly lower than in the United States with its policy of zero-tolerance. They also claim that drug use in The Netherlands is more ‘controlled' in the sense that users are not marginalized and do not need to buy their drugs in a criminal environment.
Opponents claim that drug use among Dutch youngsters has exploded in the past few years and that the relatively easy availability is a threat to young tourists. Also, they say The Netherlands has become the preferred operating base of international drug traffickers, certainly for ecstasy, and is virtually a ‘narcostate'. In the mid-nineties, exports of ecstasy from The Netherlands and the growth of drug tourism led to rather strained relations between The Netherlands and some of its neighbours and to a war of words with France.
Rapprochement:
In recent years, however, a number of European countries have been rethinking their drug policies and are seemingly veering towards the Dutch model. In some countries users of cannabis are not prosecuted. Even distribution of heroin under medical supervision is under debate. At the same time, Dutch drug laws have toughened. This rapprochement leaves The Netherlands less isolated and paves the way for a much-needed pan-European drug policy.
http://www.rnw.nl/
UK: Designer drug hits London’s clubs – January 2001 Designer drug hits London's clubs
By thisislondon - 17 January 2001
Copyright: thisislondon
A potentially lethal designer drug dubbed "ck one" - after the Calvin Klein perfume - is hitting London's dance scene, experts warned today.
The combination - a mix of highly addictive crack cocaine and the animal tranquilliser ketamine - is becoming an alternative to ecstasy.
The new drug, which is in no way connected to Calvin Klein, is a crystallised "rock". When heated, it can be smoked and produces a high which can last for about two hours, much longer than crack.
It is understood to have originated in America and one "ck one" costs £20. Chris Robin, a worker at the Enfield Community Drugs Project, said today: "'Ck one' has been used by clubbers in the mainstream and gay rave scenes in London for the last couple of months. It stuns the memory and, unless it is taken in small doses, you lose control.
"I know of one woman who stood watching her bed for two hours - she knew it had a purpose, but couldn't remember what for.
"In clubs, ravers could be smoking what they think is cannabis but a joint could be laced with ck one instead. The dangers are intensified because the come-down is absolutely horrific and for those using it for the first time and not knowing about it, they won't have any idea how to cope. It can induce severe depression.
"Crack use sees a lot of suicides and the same could start happening with ck one."
He added: "Dealers name these new type of drugs after popular products in an attempt to lure young users."
One Met police source said: "It appears to be on the increase. Often these drugs come and go but this is becoming more popular and prevalent - it is worrying."
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/
World: Thailand battles drug factories menace – November 2000 Thailand battles drug factories menace
By BBC News - Wednesday, 22 November, 2000
Copyright: BBC News
Relations between Thailand and Burma are under mounting strain over the activities of illicit drug manufacturers operating along the border between the two countries.
Bangkok says about 50 small factories producing a synthetic drug known as methamphetamine are operating in Burma's northern Shan state, under the control of the ethnic Wa minority.
Millions of methamphetamine pills are flooding into Thailand, where drug abuse especially among young people is on the rise.
Thai Village defence units are being set up all along the northern border.
Their purpose is to catch the smugglers carrying consignments of illegal methamphetamine made in neighbouring Burma.
For the druglords, the remote hilltribe areas provide easy access into Thailand.
It is a measure of the army's failure to stem the narcotic tide that these untried militias are being drafted into active service.
I set off towards the border accompanied by tour guides.
Pills produced on 'industrial scale'
From an abandoned army post, I was able to look down into the settlements where, it is claimed, members of Burma's ethnic Wa minority are manufacturing methamphetamine pills on an industrial scale.
There are hundreds of kilometres of unmarked, unprotected border, which amounts to an open invitation in effect to the drug producers in those valleys over on the Burmese side.
Until only recently, Thailand's biggest drug problem was home-grown.
As Bengt Juhlin of the United Nations Drug Control programme explains, it is thanks to a largely-successful crop-substitution policy that the fields which once produced opium poppies are today sprouting corn.
"The problem of synthetic drugs is tending to overtake the traditional problem we had with heroin," he says.
"I think we can clearly see the threat in the future is in the field of synthetic drugs."
Road-blocks and vehicle searches can occasionally produce some spectacular seizures.
However, it is a hit-and-miss process for the police.
Synthetic drugs can be made anywhere and are easily concealed.
The vast haul in a Bangkok police warehouse is probably just the tip of the iceberg.
It is predicted that 600,000,000 methamphetamine pills will enter Thailand this year.
The Burmese connection has added acute political sensitivity to the drug question.
Burmese collusion?
Despite the well-publicised drug burning exercises staged regularly in Rangoon, Thailand suspects Burma's military government of colluding with the druglords.
Sukhumbhand Paribatra, Thailand's deputy foreign affairs minister hints that some kind of retaliation is possible.
"It is a matter of self-preservation," says Mr Paribatra.
"It is a matter of national security and no nation on earth will not consider all possibilities should such a problem, such a threat to national security arise."
If the language seems strong it is because synthetic drugs are sweeping Thai society in a manner that heroin never did.
Methamphetamine abuse is so rampant among the young that schools are carrying out random urine tests on their students. A drastic step but unless the supply of drugs can be cut off at source, it is probably nowhere near enough.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
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