MORE SPEED LABS ON THE CARDS

Police would be naive to think there were not more methamphetamine laboratories
being set up in Nelson, according to Detective Senior Sergeant Wayne McCoy.

"It has really moved into New Zealand in the last 18 months," he said.

"LSD has been coming back in Nelson and ecstasy was here in great numbers
recently. The younger people are getting it."

Police operations have netted a number of offenders for drug importation and
manufacturing in Nelson over the past two years.

Nelson Marlborough Alcohol and Drug Service manager Eileen Varley said last
week said the number of cases where people were using the drug P, or crystal
methamphetamine, was increasing.

People had been taken into mental health care after taking the class A drugs
and amphetamines were now commonly found in the urine tests of methadone users
in the region.