SECRETS OF $12M DRUG DEALER

A central figure in an alleged multi-million drug ring run from London
has told the Weekend Herald how he helped to sell hundreds of
thousands of Ecstasy pills in Auckland.

The man, who can be identified only as the Dealer, pleaded guilty to
12 counts of possession of MDMA - the class-B drug known as Ecstasy -
for supply in front of Judge Thomas Everitt in the Auckland District
Court.

The 52-year-old was immediately taken into custody with a packed bag
on Thursday but cannot be named, as police fear for his safety.

In a wide-ranging interview three weeks ago, he told the Weekend
Herald how the international syndicate smuggled thousands of Ecstasy
pills into New Zealand.

He was arrested and charged last July after an undercover police
operation that discovered tablets hidden in gift baskets from the
famous London department store Harrods.

Police say there is evidence that the drug syndicate smuggled in
100,000 pills in three months, but only a fraction of the drugs were
found.

The size of the haul alarmed police, who say the market is much bigger
than they thought.

The Dealer says "business boomed" when the Government banned BZP party
pills in April last year.

"I went from selling 5000 pills a month to 5000 pills a
week."

He freely admitted being involved in the global drug ring for the past
five years, estimating that up to 200,000 Ecstasy pills had been
smuggled into New Zealand each year and sold for more than $12 million.

Police found hundreds of thousands of dollars stashed in safety
deposit boxes. The Dealer says millions of dollars were smuggled to
Thailand in "money runs" and then spirited back to London.

Detectives cracked the alleged drug syndicate after bugging the phones
and homes of the Dealer.

Cash and drugs were often exchanged in broad daylight in Auckland's
Viaduct Harbour, the hub of the city's nightlife, where Ecstasy is
popular with clubgoers.

The charges to which the Dealer pleaded guilty carry a maximum
sentence of 14 years in prison, but he is not worried about going to
jail.

"I've lived a colourful live for 30 years. After all that great fun,
going to prison is the tax I have to pay."

But authorities say dealing in Ecstasy is not a victimless
crime.

Massey University drug researcher Dr Chris Wilkins says the drug has
many health side-effects, including potentially lethal hyperthermia
and hyponatraemia.

Hyponatraemia is an imbalance of natural salts in the blood, which can
be caused by drinking too much water and can result in swelling of the
brain.

High Ecstasy doses can cause paranoia, hallucinations and confusion.