POLICE WARN ON FAKE ECSTASY

POLICE have warned of a potentially lethal batch of fake ecstasy being sold
in Melbourne after seizing drugs worth more than $4million in a raid on a
Dandenong house yesterday.

More than 2500 brown fake ecstasy tablets stamped with a Playboy bunny logo
were seized, along with more than 2kg of bulk amphetamine, 500 tabs of LSD
and about 30g of cocaine.

The head of the drugs, gaming and vice division, Det. Supt David Newton,
advised anyone who had bought the fake ecstasy tablets to flush them down
the toilet.

"It's being sold as ecstasy ... (but) it's a concoction of a number of
substances including amphetamines, heroin, lignocaine and other substances
that we're not sure of and we don't know what the effect will be if they
consume those tablets," he said.

Det. Supt Newton said the result could be lethal.

"I don't know and I don't know of anyone else that knows what's going to
happen if you take these tablets," he said.

Heavily armed special operations group officers raided a home in Grace Ave,
Dandenong, about noon and arrested one man.

The arrest followed a four-week investigation codenamed Operation Iola to
focus on a high level amphetamine dealer in the Dandenong area.

"When we became aware of the activities in relation to the purported
ecstasy we decided to bring it to a head sooner," Det. Supt Newton said.

He said the sale of the fake ecstasy tablets was a marketing ploy due to
the cheapness of heroin.

He said the tablets were sold for around $70 to $80 each and probably cost
less than $10 to make.

"People should realise if they do some act to sell a substance and someone
is killed from their action they could be held accountable in a criminal
court," he said.

A 31-year-old Dandenong man was last night taken by police to St Vincent's
Hospital for treatment of a broken heel sustained while allegedly trying to
resist arrest.