UKP 3M VIAGRA THEFT MAY GO TO FUEL 'SEXTASY' RAVES

Five drums of the anti-impotence drug Viagra with an estimated value of up
to UKP 3 million have been stolen from Heathrow airport.

About 230lb of the drug, which was in powder form, disappeared as it was
being transported through the terminal complex en route from Brussels to
Puerto Rico.

Police say there is huge demand for black-market Viagra, which is turned
into capsules, blended with Ecstasy and sold as a recreational rave drug
which is known as "sexstasy".

Detective Sergeant Roger Moxey of Scotland Yard's Heathrow Airport crime
squad said: "When this kicked off I thought the market must be
pharmaceutical, but it's the club scene. It's being taken along with
Ecstasy by clubbers. I have no idea what effect that has.

"This was definitely an organised conspiracy. The thieves knew exactly what
they were going for," he said.

Police last week retrieved 6,000 capsules, each containing between 80 and
100 milligrams of Viagra, which they believe was from the Heathrow batch.
The capsules were being sold in nightclubs for around UKP 12 each.

The official value of the stolen Viagra consignment is almost UKP 3
million, but its street value is estimated to be much higher. Some clubbers
are reported to be paying as much as UKP 20 for a tablet.

Insurers for Pfizer, the manufacturer of Viagra, have put up a UKP 20,000
reward for information about the theft.

Viagra was licensed in September 1998 and made available on NHS
prescription the following year.

Two men, Andrew Smith and Steven Benham, appeared before Uxbridge
Magistrates Court yesterday charged with handling UKP 2,700,000 worth of
sildenafil citrate, the chemical name for Viagra, stolen from Heathrow last
year, as well as possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The theft occurred as five palettes were in transit. All five palettes
landed at the airport but one containing five drums later went missing.