PEACE ON STREETS AS HEROIN DROUGHT BITES

The long-suffering citizens of Cabramatta have been offered a reprieve
from drug dealers due to a shortage of heroin in Sydney. But no-one is
sure if a turning point has been reached in the long, costly war against
the drug, or the lack of obvious drug activity is merely a tantalising
detour.

A Herald investigation has found heroin addicts are no longer flooding
into Cabramatta. The demand for needles has fallen and there has been a
big drop in overdoses.

Ambulance Service figures reveal the number of overdoses in the area
fell from a peak of 77 in September to two in April. It's believed the
number of deaths from overdoses across the city has also fallen since
December-January, when the shortage appeared to hit the market.

Police say heroin is no longer available at Cabramatta in the quantity
and purity it was and the price has rocketed from $25-$40 a street gram
last year to $50-$120.

The fall in drug activity is also reflected in figures from the
Cabramatta needle exchange. Official Health Department statistics show
that last October it supplied addicts with 53,526 syringes, but by May
demand had fallen to 15,767.

While no-one pretends the problem has gone away, local shopkeepers lend
anecdotal support to the statistical evidence, saying there has been a
distinct improvement on the streets, with a decrease in street dealing
and prostitution.

The director of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Dr Don
Weatherburn, said yesterday the heroin drought was "unprecedented" and
had led to a "big drop in heroin use" in Sydney, although he warned
there were signs of an uptake in the use of cocaine.

"What's happening now is easily one of the most interesting developments
in drug markets for more than a decade," he said.

Dr Weatherburn and senior police say the shortage has been brought about
by several factors,

including a drought in Burma, big increases in drug seizures, the arrest
and jailing of some leading criminals, such as Duncan Lam - for many
years a significant importer - and increased co-operation between law
enforcement agencies.

The Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence this year reported that a
severe drought in Burma's poppy-growing area almost halved production
since the beginning of the 1990s. Fighting in the Golden Triangle might
also have disrupted supply. The Federal and NSW police and Customs also
seized 1.6 tonnes of heroin between late 1997 and December last year.

Law enforcement officers also pointed to recent arrests in China,
including one reported earlier this month where a Burma-based syndicate
was broken up and three tonnes of heroin seized.

Commander Clive Small, in charge of the Greater Hume region that
includes Cabramatta, said police tactics on the streets had changed
since January. Much greater use was made of "move on" laws to break up
visible groups of drug users, 60 drug houses were raided and more
undercover operations were carried out, he said.

Dr Weatherburn said the shortage was an opportunity to see what would
happen if police could reduce supply permanently. "The really
interesting question is, what are the heroin users doing," he said,
adding some probably switched to cocaine.