LETHAL HEROIN BATCH LEAVES FOUR DEAD

FOUR people died and scores of others suffered drug overdoses during a
10-hour period after a lethal batch of high-grade heroin hit Sydney
streets. Between 7.30am and 5.30pm on Thursday, fatal overdoses occurred at
Kings Cross, Newtown and Bondi Junction - all attributed to the same batch
of heroin.

The deaths of three other people in Canberra also have been linked to the
batch, which is believed to have come from South-East Asia.

The first fatality occurred at Kings Cross at 7.37am on Thursday, followed
by another eight minutes later at Newtown.

That afternoon, a third fatal overdose occurred at Bondi Junction, followed
an hour later by the death of a 40-year-old man at Kings Cross.

Ambulance officers were kept busy with 31 overdoses occurring in the same
period, bringing the total of overdoses to 78 in the past three days.

The tally rose after seven overdoses were reported up to midday yesterday.

NSW Special Minister of State, John Della Bosca, said last night the highly
concentrated heroin appeared to have "hit the streets" on Thursday. "This
is a deadly poison, which in the last 72 hours has destroyed at least six
families and maybe many more," he said.

"Ambulance officers have reported more than double the number of overdoses
they would normally see.

"Once again, in the most brutal way, we see there is no such thing as safe
heroin use."

The three deaths reported in Canberra on Friday have led authorities to
believe the dealer has contacts in the ACT as well.

A NSW Ambulance Service spokeswoman said officers were bracing themselves
for a predicted stream of overdoses, judging by the activities at the
weekend. "We were kept very busy on Thursday and Friday with overdoses,"
she said.

Mr Della Bosca said almost 400 Australians died from heroin overdoses each
year and urged the Federal Government to "take stronger action to prevent
drugs entering via airports, ports and coastline".

"These deaths reinforce the importance of trying new methods to prevent
heroin addiction and save lives," he said.