LETHAL DESIGNER DRUGS GO ON SALE

A GROWING quantity of lethal designer drugs, some up to 33 times more
powerful than ecstasy, are being sold in Britain.

Police issued a warning yesterday about the emergence of the new drugs,
which have been responsible for three deaths. They fear that the toll could
rise. The drugs are ecstasy derivatives and are sold under the names DOB,
also known as Golden Eagle, and Flatliners, which is made from the chemical
4MTA.

The National Criminal Intelligence Service believes that sales will increase
as the ecstasy market diversifies and organised crime becomes involved in
production. Les Fiander, of the NCIS drug unit, said people were taking the
drugs without knowing that the physical side-effects could be lethal.

"We believe that the diversification of the ecstasy market could lead to
further fatalities," he said.

"The market has become greedy both for new drugs and the vast sums of money
that can be made from these drugs. Users today do not know what they are
buying and until it hits their system they have no means of knowing.
Unfortunately, by that point it could be too late."

While DOB is a controlled substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act,
Flatliners are not currently covered by that legislation, though they are
suspected of causing the deaths of three young people.

Flatliners are currently covered only by lesser penalties under the
Medicines Act. The Home Office has said it intends to make them a controlled
substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act, together with 35 other ecstasy
derivatives, but has not yet done so.

Checked-by: Don Beck