DIAL-A-DRUG ON OFFER IN AUCKLAND

Drug Dealers Are Grabbing A Slice Of The Action By Offering A Pizza
Delivery-Style Service.

Competition among suppliers in Auckland has driven some to provide a
phone-a-foil option so users can get their drug of choice brought to their
door.

One take-out customer told Truth it was as simple as calling a cellphone
number and placing an order.

The dealer would give an approximate delivery time. Later the doorbell would
ring and cash and drugs would change hands.

"It's that easy," he said.

A delivery fee of $5 was added, making the tinny transaction viable for the
dealer, he said.

The dial-a-drug idea was the best thing since sliced bread for many
druggies, he said.

"First you call Pizza Hut then you call the 'Reefer Hut'."

He said although his supplier didn't yet offer the classic 30-minute
delivery or 'the next one's free' policy of pizza outlets, the dope normally
turned up within a couple of hours.

Other differences between pizza deliverers and deals-on-wheels were that the
dealers' cars didn't advertise their goods and there was no 0800 number, the
customer joked.

Other drugs that could be ordered were speed, P and LSD.

"It's great to have a guy on call like that," he said.

"If you're throwing a party and you run out of drugs, you know more are just
a phone call away."

He said the delivery service sometimes became congested, especially around
big events like Auckland's Big Day Out music festival, and it could take a
couple of days before the drugs were delivered.

A spokeswoman from Auckland central police said she had not heard about the
dial-a-drug phenomenon.

"But it may well be happening," she said.

A police spokesperson for south Auckland said dial-a-drug had sprung up in
their patch before.

But they hadn't heard of it happening since a police operation led to the
arrest of a deals-on-wheels operation 18 months ago.

"It wouldn't surprise me if there were still some out there," the
spokesperson said.