YABA DABBLE DON’T

Law enforcement agencies are worried it could be the new Ecstasy. Stuart
Clark reports on the new breed of super-amphetamines

“HITLER’S DRUG SET TO INVADE BRITISH CLUBS"

Never mind journalistic zeal, the bloke at The Observer must have been
hyperventilating as he penned that particular headline. The story which
followed was just as dramatic. South East Asia is being overrun by a
super-strength amphetamine that was originally developed by Hitler’s
scientists to keep his front-line troops awake. Not content with the
millions of pounds that they’re already making, the region’s drug barons are
now looking to expand into Europe.

It might sound like something concocted by Chris Morris to dupe gullible
MPs, but there’s genuine concern in EU law enforcement circles that ‘yaba’
could be the new ecstasy.

"We are watching it with extreme caution,” says a British Police Federation
spokesman. “You used to envisage an amphetamine lab with beakers and Bunsen
burners but that’s not the case any more. You can make it right on the hob
with just a couple of casserole dishes. As well as being quicker and
cheaper, the drug produced is also purer and stronger than other forms of
amphetamine.”

Having seen how all those mad fortnights in Ibiza fuelled the E craze, the
fear is that Thailand’s growing popularity as a holiday destination will
create a demand for yaba that crime gangs here will want to satisfy.

“It’s being talked about, but the only people who’ve actually had it are the
ones who’ve been to ravey parts of Thailand like Ko Samul,” proffers Paul, a
Dublin dealer. “Where drugs are concerned, Ireland doesn’t set trends, it
follows them. For it to come here, it’ll have to catch on first in the UK.”

Yaba - or “crazy medicine” as it’s known in the local vernacular - now
accounts for 80% of Thailand’s illegal drug consumption. While accurate data
is hard to come by, United Nations health officials reckon that at least 400
million tablets of it are necked every year.

“Regular use of the drug has been linked to lung and kidney disorders,
hallucinations and paranoia,” reads the official blurb. “A frequent
hallucination is ‘speed bugs’ or ‘crank bugs’ where users believe that
insects are crawling under their skin. In the past two years, the number of
Thai students entering rehab to deal with yaba addiction has risen by nearly
1,000%. Those coming off the drug are also susceptible to severe depression
and suicidal urges.”

There’s also a serious law and order aspect, with 80% of Bangkok street
crime thought to be yaba-related. It’s not a figure that’s mentioned too
much in official circles - the Government are paranoid that if the full
extent of the problem gets out, tourism will suffer.

Following its ban in the early ‘70s, yaba production switched to the Golden
Triangle area which straddles the borders of Thailand, Burma and Laos.
Manufactured from such legal ingredients as salt, bleach and cold medicine,
it’s significantly more profitable than heroin which is now a minor industry
by comparison.

At Irish Street prices, raw materials costing pounds 300 can be turned into
pounds 2,000 worth of pills. All it takes is a little knowledge, a lot of
nerve, and a Leaving Cert-standard chemistry lab.

The odd pinch of lithium aside - camera batteries are a good source,
apparently - yaba is almost identical to the various strains of
methamphetamine which are commonplace in the States.

Commonly-known as ‘crank’, meth can be sniffed, smoked or injected and sells
for up to $l20 a gram. In crystallised “rock” form, it’s thought to be more
addictive than crack and responsible for just as much misery.

“Where meth goes, violence follows,” is the verdict of Californian drug
expert Dr. Alex Stalcup. “The new methamphetamine produces extreme euphoria,
increased alertness and a sense of boundless energy. Users call it a
phenomenal high, lasting hours, days, even weeks. But there’s a dark side.
High dosage or chronic use can lead to nervousness and irritability. It’s
not uncommon for users to hear voices, hallucinate and become paranoid.”

You may already have tried it without knowing - out of a batch of 36 ecstasy
tablets that were tested recently in Holland, eight were found to contain
methamphetamine.

While a small amount of meth has turned up here, the most commonly found
amphetamine in Ireland is still speed.

“It got really popular again before Christmas, and is now outselling
everything apart from coke,” Paul resumes. “The problem - even at my end of
things - is trying to get hold of stuff that hasn’t been cut to fuck. I was
offered a couple of ounces recently that were almost pure glucose. People
aren’t going to pay fifteen quid for what’s essentially a bottle of
Lucozade.”

It’s rare for the speed that’s sold here to be more than 10% pure - a short
changing which was recently remarked on by a District Judge.
Methamphetamine, on the other hand, normally weighs in at a system-jolting
50%.

“I’m not convinced that the average punter wants to get that wired,” Paul
continues. “Crack didn’t take off here because, bottom line, people were
frightened of it. A bit of social drug taking’s okay, but they don’t want to
turn into junkies.”

AMPHETAMINES - The Hot Press Findings:

* The European Centre for Monitoring Drugs and Drug Abuse is predicting a
major upswing in its use

* The latest annual figures show the Gardai dealing with 618
amphetamine-related cases - a tally which puts it at number 3 in the drugs
league table behind cannabis and heroin

* Speed is now more popular in Ireland than E

* The new breed of methamphetamines can be manufactured from basic household
ingredients

* There's concern in EU law enforcement that Thai produced 'yaba' could be
the new Ecstasy