THE MYSTERY OF THE CRUMBLING 50 EURO NOTES

THOUSANDS of Germans have been stuffing euro notes up their noses --
and destroying not only their health but also the currency, police
believe.

They say that the mystery of why euro notes have been falling apart
since the summer -- many look moth-eaten after only a day in the pocket
-- is down to an increasing use of crystal methamphetamine. In Germany
this drug is fast replacing cocaine as the illegal party substance of
choice.

The main variant used in nightclubs is white and goes by the names of
"tweak", "tina" or "ice".

The crystals are pulverised and spread on a note that is then rolled
up and funnelled into a nostril.

The disintegrating notes have been puzzling police forces across the
country and angering ordinary consumers.

The Bundesbank, which normally takes damaged currency, has been very
reluctant to take these notes back.

An investigation has begun in different currency storage depots. But
so far drug use is the only working explanation for the presence of
sulphuric acid. The =8050 note is said to be of the right dimensions for
taking the drug and as a result these notes have become the first
casualties.

Much of the crystal methamphetamine reaching Germany is refined in
Poland and the Balkans and is mixed with sulphates. Traces of these
sulphates cling to the notes.

A spokesman for the forensic unit of the Rhineland Palatinate police,
quoted by Der Spiegel magazine, said: "When a contaminated note comes
into contact with human sweat, the chemicals interact to form an
aggressive sulphuric acid. If euros are wadded together in a wallet or
a purse, the corrosion will spread from one tainted note to all the
others."

In 2003 researchers at the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical
Research in Nuremberg found that almost all euro notes circulated in
Germany contained traces of cocaine.

The study echoed earlier research by Mass Spec Analytical, based in
Bristol, that found the drug on more than 99 per cent of banknotes in
London.

Some German police forces are now advising consumers to use gloves
whenever dealing with cash -- and to spend as quickly as possible.