AUSTRALIA TOP IN ASIA DRUG MARKET

AUSTRALIA has become one of the biggest markets in the Asian region
for amphetamines and ecstasy, and large quantities of illegal drug
ingredients are coming in by air cargo, a United Nations report has
found.

The 2009 UN World Drug Report says pseudoephedrine and ephedrine --
both used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, or ice -- are being
allowed to flow in through Australia's porous borders.

And while Australia has had some success in cutting heroin use by
disrupting supply chains, the report says there are signs that the
manufacture of synthetic drugs has gained traction both here and in
South-East Asia.

"Significant methamphetamine precursors continue to be intercepted by
customs and law enforcement," the report said. "In Australia, large
quantities of pseudoephedrine continue to be imported via air cargo."

The annual report attempts to quantify the world drug trade and
identify trends and routes through which drugs reach end-users.

The latest UN report finds that global markets for cocaine, opiates
and cannabis are steady or in decline, while production and use of
synthetic drugs appear to be increasing, particularly in the
developing world.

Its findings come a day after The Age revealed an Australian Crime
Commission investigation that uncovered serious weaknesses in the
security of both ports and airports, allowing the drug trade and other
criminal activity to flourish.

The UN report noted that in July last year Australian authorities
intercepted a single shipment of 850 kilograms of pseudoephedrine
trafficked from Thailand.

It also noted a rise in methamphetamine imports from Canada, where
large laboratories are now controlled by Asian crime syndicates and
motorcycle gangs.

Methamphetamine from Canada accounted for 83 per cent of seized
imports into Australia by weight, the report said.

New Zealand estimates that as many as 10 million pharmaceutical
precursor tablets containing pseudoephedrine are trafficked from China
to New Zealand annually, which is enough to produce 630 kilograms of
methamphetamine.

Australia is also a major manufacturer of ecstasy, with more
laboratories identified than in any other nation, the report said.

However, some of the European laboratories are very large, so
production levels may be higher in other jurisdictions.

"The most significant development in ecstasy-group manufacture has
been the shift of operations from West and Central Europe to locations
closer to consumers around the world," the report said.

"In Australia, there is continued evidence of notable domestic
manufacture."

Worldwide, ecstasy seizures increased by 62 per cent in 2007 to a
total of 7.9 tonnes.

Six countries accounted for more than 80 per cent of seizures, with
the largest amounts reported by the Netherlands (25 per cent of the
total), followed by Australia, the US, Canada, Britain and China.

The biggest seizure of ecstasy in Australia was in June 2007, when
authorities intercepted 15 million tablets weighing 4.42 tonnes from
Italy.

After The Age's revelations about criminal activities at ports and
airports, the Federal Opposition yesterday accused the Government of
not doing enough, or spending enough, to curb the problems.

"Airports and ports are the front line in our national and border
security, but in their last budget, Labor slashed front-line security
at ports and airports by $17.1 million and cut great swathes of staff
from our border security agencies," said Opposition justice and
customs spokeswoman Sussan Ley.