HITLER S DRUG Set To Invade British Clubs .
Never mind journalistic zeal, the bloke at The Observer must have been hyperventilating as he penned that particular headline. The story which followed was just as dramatic. South East Asia is being overrun by a super-strength amphetamine that was originally developed by Hitler s scientists to keep his frontline troops awake. Not content with the millions of pounds that they re already making, the region s drug barons are now looking to expand into Europe.
It might sound like something concocted by Chris Morris to dupe gullible MPs, but there s genuine concern in EU law enforcement circles that yaba could be the new ecstasy.
We are watching it with extreme caution, says a British Police Federation spokesman. You used to envisage an amphetamine lab with beakers and Bunsen burners but that s not the case any more. You can make it right on the hob with just a couple of casserole dishes. As well as being quicker and cheaper, the drug produced is also purer and stronger than other forms of amphetamine.
Having seen how all those mad fortnights in Ibiza fuelled the E craze, the fear is that Thailand s growing popularity as a holiday destination will create a demand for yaba that crime gangs here will want to satisfy.
It s being talked about, but the only people who ve actually had it are the ones who ve been to ravey parts of Thailand like Ko Samui, proffers Paul, a Dublin dealer. Where drugs are concerned, Ireland doesn t set trends, it follows them. For it to come here, it ll have to catch on first in the UK.
Yaba or crazy medicine as it s known in the local vernacular now accounts for 80% of Thailand s illegal drug consumption. While accurate data is hard to come by, United Nations health officials reckon that at least 400 million tablets of it are necked every year.
Regular use of the drug has been linked to lung and kidney disorders, hallucinations and paranoia, reads the official blurb. A frequent hallucination is speed bugs or crank bugs where users believe that insects are crawling under their skin. In the past two years, the number of Thai students entering rehab to deal with yaba addiction has risen by nearly 1,000%. Those coming off the drug are also susceptible to severe depression and suicidal urges.
There s also a serious law and order aspect, with 80% of Bangkok street crime thought to be yaba-related. It s not a figure that s mentioned too much in official circles the Government are paranoid that if the full extent of the problem gets out, tourism will suffer.
Following its ban in the early 70s, yaba production switched to the Golden Triangle area which straddles the borders of Thailand, Burma and Laos. Manufactured from such legal ingredients as salt, bleach and cold medicine, it s significantly more profitable than heroin which is now a minor industry by comparison.
At Irish street prices, raw materials costing #300 can be turned into #2,000 worth of pills. All it takes is a little knowledge, a lot of nerve, and a Leaving Cert-standard chemistry lab.
The odd pinch of lithium aside camera batteries are a good source, apparently yaba is almost identical to the various strains of methamphetamine which are commonplace in the States.
Commonly-known as crank , meth can be sniffed, smoked or injected and sells for up to $120 a gram. In crystallised rock form, it s thought to be more addictive than crack and responsible for just as much misery.
Where meth goes, violence follows, is the verdict of Californian drug expert Dr. Alex Stalcup. The new methamphetamine produces extreme euphoria, increased alertness and a sense of boundless energy. Users call it a phenomenal high, lasting hours, days, even weeks. But there s a dark side. High dosage or chronic use can lead to nervousness and irritability. It s not uncommon for users to hear voices, hallucinate and become paranoid.
You may already have tried it without knowing out of a batch of 36 ecstasy tablets that were tested recently in Holland, eight were found to contain methamphetamine.
While a small amount of meth has turned up here, the most commonly-found amphetamine in Ireland is still speed.
It got really popular again before Christmas, and is now outselling everything apart from coke, Paul resumes. The problem even at my end of things is trying to get hold of stuff that hasn t been cut to fuck. I was offered a couple of ounces recently that were almost pure glucose. People aren t going to pay fifteen quid for what s essentially a bottle of Lucozade.
It s rare for the speed that s sold here to be more than 10% pure a shortchanging which was recently remarked on by a District Judge. Methamphetamine, on the other hand, normally weighs in at a system-jolting 50%.
I m not convinced that the average punter wants to get that wired, Paul continues. Crack didn t take off here because, bottom line, people were frightened of it. A bit of social drug-taking s okay, but they don t want to turn into junkies.