DANGER DRUG COULD BE ON ITS WAY

A warning that a dangerous and highly addictive drug could arrive on
Norfolk's streets was last night issued by the county's police chief.

Methylamphetamine - a class A drug more commonly known as crystal
meth - has not previously been peddled in Norfolk, but chief
constable Ian McPherson said it could be introduced into the county
this year, impacting on crime and police resources.

The extremely potent amphetamine, which has already taken a hold in
the United States and some parts of the UK, is considered as
addictive as crack cocaine and poses the added risk of explosion
because it can be made from a cocktail of household solvents and cleaners.

Mr McPherson raised the potential danger at a meeting with the police
authority and said 2008 could possibly herald an increase in
stimulant-related deaths and the arrival of crystal meth.

Only three minor incidences of crystal meth have ever been reported
in the county, all in the past three years, and in each case the
small amount of drugs were for personal use and had been bought
outside Norfolk.

But the force has educated all officers about the drug and developed
its action plan should the mass-production of crystal meth be
discovered in Norfolk.

Richard Price, police drug liaison officer, said "the need for
vigilance" had been highlighted by the rapid development of crack
cocaine markets in the early part of the new millennium.

The drug is damaging to the body and as highly addictive as crack
cocaine and evidence from the United States has shown that many of
its users gravitate from one drug to the other.

"We are very engaged in tracking any information across the eastern
region about the movement of crystal and the development of this
substance," said Mr Price.

"We have a contingency plan to deal with the possibility of a factory
find within the county, and the potential for explosion, and we are
as prepared as we can be.

"There's a dual consideration for this particular substance; the drug
itself and the impact it can have on the user, levels of crime and
the community, resources, and there is the potential for explosion."

He added that there had been occasional crystal meth factory finds
across the UK and a number of arrests and seizures, primarily in
urban areas outside East Anglia.

The constituent ingredients of crystal meth render it extremely
corrosive, and its continued use can have a debilitating effect on
the body, breaking down the veins at the site of injection and
rotting teeth and gums if inhaled.