AGONY OF ECSTASY

Cops Warn Users Popular Drug May Be Laced With Meth

Here's one more thing for Winnipeg parents -- and ecstasy users -- to
worry about.

As ecstasy production in Canada continues to rise, city police are
seeing more examples of pills passed off as the so-called love drug
that are actually methamphetamine or a mix containing the
highly-addictive stimulant.

It's an effort by producers and traffickers to get people hooked to
make more money.

"When you get somebody addicted, they're going to want to buy more,"
said police spokeswoman Const. Jacqueline Chaput. "What you see is not
necessarily what you get. There's no way of seeing the difference or
telling if it's a combination."

Police issued the warning yesterday along with details about a
half-million dollar drug bust with links to organized crime in Western
Canada.

Police seized more than 15,000 tablets of ecstasy that may be laced
with meth. The tablets, valued at $330,000, haven't been tested.

"When you're adding methamphetamine, you're adding a more toxic drug
that is much more addictive than ecstasy," said Dr. Sheri Fandrey of
Addictions Foundation of Manitoba. "Meth is equally as bad or worse at
killing brain cells but it kills them in a much broader spectrum. The
combination is much more damaging and much more troublesome."

Brain damage

Long-term effects of meth include brain damage or kidney failure,
leading to death.

City police believe the coloured tablets, stamped with wishbone or
happy face logos, seized Wednesday were to be sold in Winnipeg and
came from B.C.

The organized crime unit also collected six kilograms of cocaine,
valued at $230,000, and $119,000 in cash.

The drugs and cash were found in a vehicle in the Chalmers area, a
vehicle near Notre Dame Avenue and Border Street, and a suite at a
hotel in the 1800 block of Wellington Avenue.

Police arrested two men -- a 32-year-old from Winnipeg and a
23-year-old from Vancouver -- but refused to identify them or the gang
they're associated with.