DRUG DEATHS SPARK CHEAP HEROIN FEARS

Exclusive: Police admit seizures are doing little to stem the flow of imports

FIVE people have died of drug overdoses in a single week in the west of
Scotland as a flood of cheap heroin pours into the country.

The death toll brings the number of heroin-related deaths since the
beginning of this year to 16 and signals a rise in danger for drug users.

The figures forecast that by the end of 1998 more than 120 deaths will
occur in and around the Glasgow area, reversing the three-year trend that
has seen drug fatalities fall from an all-time high of 105 in 1995.

Last night, Detective Superintendent Barry Dougall, co- ordinator of
Strathclyde Police, said more drugs may be coming into the west of
Scotland and admitted that police seizures were having little impact.

The director of Scotland Against Drugs, David Macauley, said the deaths
were a simple indication that more drugs were available. Scotland was being
flooded with heroin, while cannabis was being withdrawn.

The latest drug victims, Andrew McAuley, 24, of High St, Glasgow, and Brian
McEwan, 35, whose body was found in Robertson House hostel in Broad Street,
died from suspected heroin overdoses on Wednesday morning.

While their ages were typical of most overdose victims, who also tend to
be poly drug users,

The death of Allan Harper, 13, on the 3 January caused a backlash against
drug dealers in the local community. He was much younger than most heroin
users, but, as exclusively revealed by The Scotsman, he was not the only
youngster to have abused hard drugs. Almost 30 underage heroin users have
been treated by a local drugs agency in Greater Easterhouse in the last 18
months, a figure that is believed by campaigners to be the tip of the
iceberg.

Strathclyde Police, who are investigating the 16 deaths and attempting to
trace the source of the heroin, have said there is nothing to suggest they
are related to impurities in the heroin or the strength of the supply.

Last year, 50 people died of drug overdoses, while in 1996, there were 84
fatalities.

Mr Dougall said they were awaiting toxicology tests on some of this year's
deaths, but they mainly involved heroin.

He said: "We thought that in the past few years we were seeing a trend of
fewer deaths, which perhaps were due to users accessing the services.
We're very concerned that so many have died and we have carried out
extensive inquiries as to the supply, as well as speaking to drug
agencies."

So far, police have no clues as to why so many young people have died.
However, Mr Dougall said that there may be more drugs coming in. He said:
"There is nothing to suggest that there is a bad batch of heroin or that
there is an increase in purity. We have certainly seized more and had an
increase in drug-related arrests reported to the fiscal, which may be an
indication of drugs coming into the area."

He admitted that the police were having little impact on the availability
of drugs, saying: "Street prices are a good indication of availability. If
street prices go up, you're either buying it from the wrong person or we
are making an impact. Street prices have remained stable and we are
continuing to increase our seizures."

Mr Macauley said that the streets of Scotland were being flooded with cheap
heroin, while cannabis was being withdrawn, leading to an increased market
and a greater number of people injecting drugs.

"Heroin is being pushed very heavily throughout Scotland, there's no doubt
about that. A lot of kids I know are using drugs instead of alcohol
because it's cheaper. They can buy a wrap of heroin for less than 5," he
said.

Since Allan's death, police activity in Greater Easterhouse has been high,
with more than 80 drug related arrests and almost 750,000 worth of drugs
seized.

Hugh Michael Cavanagh, 24, of Glenboig, Airdrie; Hugh McMullen, 34, and
Jackie Sinclair, 28, both of Kingsway Court, Scotstoun, and Stephen
Rodger, 28, of Tresta Road, Maryhill, have died since 10 February, when The
Scotsman first reported an increase in deaths from overdoses this year.