PILLS, THRILLS AND BELLYACHES

They are called Mitsubishis and are available in a number of fashionable
pubs and clubs in Dublin, but they are just as likely to be encountered in
Navan, Cork or Tramore. They are white ecstasy tablets embossed with the
triple diamond logo of the Japanese car manufacturer, hence their
nomenclature.

The drug first made its appearance four months ago. Touted as being pure
MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, Mitsubishis have caused something of
a revival in the use of the drug on the 10th anniversary of house music.

Use of ecstasy has been in decline among recreational drug users over the
past two years. High-profile deaths, the closure of a number of Dublin's
more notorious clubs, and the sale of cheaper and more dangerous derivatives
of MDMA, such as MDA and the anaesthetic Ketamine, have all contributed to
this decline.

The street price of the drug has also dropped considerably from 25-30 Irish
pounds in 1993 to as low as seven pounds a tablet in the early months of
this year. This drop in price has as much to do with the fact that ecstasy
was over-valued as increasing supplies. Ecstasy is considered only
marginally more expensive to manufacture than LSD, perhaps costing as little
as 30p per tablet. Subsequently as profit margins were squeezed, dealers
diversified into other drugs.

The availability of cocaine and amphetamines increased substantially over
the Christmas period. The increase was reflected in the price of a gram of
cocaine dropping from 70-80 Irish pounds to 60 pounds. Dealers prefer drugs
in powder form as they are not only easier to conceal but the profits are
bigger and the figures rounder. One dealer is reported to have made over
2,000 pounds profit from cocaine in one hour on New Year's Eve in a
well-known Dublin club.

It is generally reckoned that an ounce of cocaine costing about 700 Irish
pounds, depending on availability and purity, will net a dealer in excess of
1,000 pounds profit, while an ounce of speed wholesaling at 160 pounds
should make the dealer a profit of 300 pounds.

The arrival of good-quality ecstasy in the guise of Mitsubishis has renewed
consumer interest in the drug and driven the street price back up to the ten
pound mark. Furthermore, an attractive wholesale price of four tablets for
ten pounds has lured back the dealers.

As with all illegally produced drugs, and in particular with the infamous
White Doves in 1994-1995, Mitsubishis are suffering as a result of their own
popularity. Copycat varieties, using cheaper ingredients, have already
started to appear on the market. Dealers with access to the original
Mitsubishis differentiate their wares from imitations, labelling them as
'first-batch' Mitsubishis.

The revival in ecstasy has led to the introduction of an even more sinister
narcotic on the ecstasy market. Known as Melodies, they are believed to be
mainly composed of Ketamine. Unlike ecstasy, whose effects begin to wear off
after three or four hours, Ketamine can last up to 10 to 12 hours with some
users reporting effects up to two days later. Ketamine was designed to be
administered intravenously, ingested orally the effects include pronounced
paranoia, disorientation and hallucinations.

While Melodies are universally derided, some users have also voiced concern
over the potency of Mitsubishis, especially when taken with alcohol. They
talk of having 'lost hours' on the drug, that is, having memory lapses, and
even anti-social behaviour, which is not normally associated with ecstasy
use.

The effect of the drug is so pronounced that most users only take one tablet
on a night out and even then stagger their intake by breaking the tablet in
two and taking the second half when the first one begins to wear off.

The exact origin of the drug is unknown, but most ecstasy in Ireland comes,
via England, from back-street chemists in the Netherlands. It appears that
none of the south Dublin inner city crews have had any dealings with the
drug. This would suggest that the drug is being imported and distributed by
a well-known north inner city family who have had major dealings with the
drug since it first appeared in the country in the early 1990s. Their
reputation was such that even hardened criminals would consult the family
before dealing ecstasy. With many of their old haunting grounds closed down,
it is decidedly more difficult now to estimate their influence in the city,
but contacts with the criminal fraternity in Liverpool, and a
well-established distribution network, would seem to indicate their
involvement.

But not everyone agrees with this scenario. One source maintains that the
importation and distribution of drugs in Ireland is not nearly as organised
as people believe. "It's just as likely that it's some freelancers from
Tallaght or Coolock as it is to be one of the big names who is bringing in
the Mitsubishis. Who know? And the odds are that you will never know. If
you're a small-time dealer and you have a source for good quality drugs you
are not going to tell anyone, not just because of the police, but because
you don't need the competition."

Checked-by: "Rolf Ernst"