DARK ANGEL: POLICE ALERT ON 'SOFT SPEED'

The online purchase of a New Zealand-made drug touted as the
"strongest energy pill legally available in the world" could land
NSW residents in jail, police have warned.

The benzylpiperazine-based products are legal in New Zealand and
marketed online under names such as "Dark Angel", "Grin", "Red
Hearts", "Majik", "Kandi", "Frenzy", "Altitude" and "Humma", police said.

But NSW residents in possession of the synthetically produced drugs
faced two years' jail, the commander of the Drug Squad, Detective
Superintendent David Laidlaw, said.

"We have identified a number of New Zealand-based companies
advertising on the internet, which are supplying residents across
Australia with these products," he said.

"Law enforcement agencies in both countries are liaising with the
companies to make management aware of the legalities of providing a
drug of this type to NSW residents.

"While these companies have not broken laws in New Zealand, NSW
residents receiving packages of tablets containing benzylpiperazine
face prosecution and possible jail time."

Smh.com.au was able to find three New Zealand-based websites selling
benzylpiperazine-based pills online within minutes.

One pill, called "Bolts", was "like a lightning bolt of pure energy
straight to your brain", a website said.

"Bolts are guaranteed to make your jaws clench, your hair stand on
end and your feet want to hit the dance floor.

"Bolts are the strongest energy pills legally available in the world today."

The site included usage instructions for the pills, such as "do not
redrop for at least two hours", and noted they were not "herbal
highs" but "semisynthetic legal highs".

The pills could not be shipped to Australia, Sweden, Greece or the
US, the website said, warning buyers they should check with their
local customs department before buying.

But another website, for an Auckland-based sports nutrition store,
did not mention any restriction on the sale of
benzylpiperazine-based pills to Australia.

The website sells a two-pack of "Majik" pills, described as "great
for more experienced users wanting a strongly altered perception"
for $NZ20 ($17.70).

Police said benzylpiperazine was a synthetic drug developed as a
potential antiparasitic agent and listed as a prohibited drug in NSW.

Superintendent Laidlaw said benzylpiperazine could produce an
increased heart rate, nausea, headaches, fatigue, insomnia,
seizures, confusion and mild memory loss.

Police said at least one death has been officially linked with the
use of benzylpiperazine.

"We are concerned that NSW residents ordering these tablets via the
internet are unaware of it being illegal to possess," Superintendent
Laidlaw said.

"People are also jeopardising their lives by using these tablets and
we strongly warn residents against purchasing or using them."